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Eberwolf crouched on a fallen stump, just high enough to watch the door to the creaking old house. Darius and Raine were before them, hiding behind a tree as they, too, watched. Hopefully the Owl Lady listened to their note, and brought those cubs back from the Emperor's mind quickly. Eber huffs to themself, clawing at the rotting bark under their fingers. As funny as watching Darius lose his composure was, for the moment even Eberwolf can't muster the presence to tease him for his obvious worry over the golden boy. They both smell of fear and guilt, minds clouded by the emotions. Eberwolf realizes that they've done what they can to rectify their mistake—nothing comes of berating oneself for accidents. He will be sad, he knows, if the cubs are lost, but it's out of their paws now.
From inside the house they hear a heavy thump, and Eberwolf tenses in suspense. The other two follow their lead—Darius unheeding of their precious gloves as he clutches the bark of that tree, Raine gripping their cloak in one hand and a flute in the other. He hears shouting, footsteps, and the door flings open. The Golden Guard ducks under the house demon and bolts into the woods, not visibly injured as far as they can see. Raine stops Darius with a hand, as he nearly exposes himself to the girl who runs after the frightened cub. Eber sniffs the air, the wind is in their favor. Smoke and anguish, something feral, but no blood. Good.
"Let go of me, bard," Darius snaps at Raine for the disruption, wanting to follow after them. Raine hesitates, loathe to sow discord. Smart bird.
"Eberwolf can find them faster," they finally reply. "And more quietly. We don't know what he's seen or how he'll react to our presence."
Darius scowls at them, but gives a stiff nod. He turns his glare on Eberwolf instead, who feigns ignorance by scratching behind their ears with a hind foot. "Well?" Darius snaps. "Go find them, and make sure they're safe." Eberwolf gives him a smart salute and bounds away, into the brush faster than the other heavy-footed witches could. Tracking the golden cub is easy, his scent a straight line from the house. Eber finds them curled up in a tree nook and stalks a slow circle, assessing their prey. The boy shivers violently, distraught, and Eber croons softly from his hiding place under a thick bush. The boy turns his head in their direction, searching for the source of the call, and his shaking intensifies. Concerned, Eber sneaks silently closer, sensing something amiss. The wind moves again, bringing the smell of the girl cub to their nose, and Eber waits.
She bursts into the clearing, making the boy cub jump. Eberwolf narrows his eyes, that strange smell that follows him everywhere spiking harshly. Fur and wilderness. Eber watches in silence as the boy becomes a beast, readying himself to pounce just in case he attacks her. But the cub slinks away instead, posture low and scared. The girl curls up in his previous hollow, upset. She smells like the wild thing too, and Eber sees. Owl Lady comes to fetch her, and Eber waits. He is patient.
When the clearing is empty he stalks free of his hideaway, sniffing the ground to familiarize himself with the beast scent. Different from boy scent, sharper, richer. Scared. He proceeds with caution.
Boy cub has found his way a few miles toward the knee, smart enough to keep out of sight. Eber finds him pacing near a stream-fed pond, tongue lolling from his muzzle. His palisman is settled on his head preening his ears and chirping at him. The beast whines, dislodges it with a shake, but the bird lands in the same spot to resume. Eberwolf observes for now, unconcerned. He'll wear himself out eventually.
It takes an hour before he lowers himself down onto a large boulder overlooking the pond. Eber figures this is his chance, and creeps closer. One of the bushes rustles as he passes, and the cub is back on his feet with a snarl, stinking once again of fear. Perhaps this will be a more difficult task than anticipated. Eber huffs, continuing his path. When he emerges from his hidden position the cub lowers his head, fur rising along his spine. He matches Eber's steps, stalking forward, giving them pause. Eber does not growl back, he doesn't want to threaten the cub. But this form unnerves them, smelling like the cub and his strange wild scent. Eber croons softly, willing him to relax, but no luck. The noise tenses them further, fangs reemerging for a moment. Their stare never wavers, his eyes swallowed by engorged pupils. Eber stares back, and realizes why he's feeling such hesitation.
There's no recognition in that stare.
Perhaps it's only because he and Eber are not friends. Yet. Or maybe the beast that is the boy has taken over, like some curses tend to. Either way, he is not safe here… unless.
Eber slowly makes a circle, putting his coven head magic to use. For a moment his command seems to work—the beast calms, stumbling against their sudden relaxation. The cub's paliman chirps in alarm, nearly unseated, and this breaks the spell. Eber tenses as the cub blinks himself back, shaking out his fur uncertainly, and upon realizing what just happened his snarls return twice over. Eber doesn't even see them crouch, only dives out of the way of their lunge through decades of instinct and practice. He's away and around a tree before the beast can follow his direction, hiding up amongst the branches. The wolf, panic renewed, turns tail anb vanishes in the opposite direction. Eber wonders if he should follow and try again.
… No. He needs space. They know better than to corner a terrified beast, and Darius would be angry if he hurt the boy. He can find them again.
Eberwolf slinks away and hurries back to where he left Darius and Raine. They've since moved away, setting up out of sight of the house. Darius is the first to corner him, making worried noises as he looks around.
"What happened? Where is he? We saw the girl come back with Edalyn, did Hunter get away?" Eber dodges his reaching fingers, clambering up next to Raine.
"Boy safe," he growls. "Not injured. Only scared."
"Well, why didn't you bring him back, then?" Darius pinches the bridge of his nose, the way he does when he's fighting a tension headache. Eber blinks back guilelessly.
"Told Eber to find. Not fetch." He makes an amused rumble at the frustrated noise that Darius emits.
"That part of the request was greatly implied, Eberwolf. I didn't think I would have needed to." Eber shrugs, stretching their arms up. "So how about we try it again. Let's go find the boy, and then bring him back."
"No."
"... No?" Darius raises his eyebrows.
"No," Eber repeats. "Boy scared. Will bite if we try."
"He is a boy, Eberwolf. Not one of your beasts."
"All beasts, even us." Eber shrugs. "Especially when scared," he adds pointedly.
"Maybe Eberwolf is right," Raine interrupts. "Let's let him be tonight and find him in the morning. He's a resourceful scout, I'm sure he'll come up with something to stay safe."
Darius scowls at this, crossing his arms. But after a moment of contemplation he gives in with a sigh. "Oh, fine. Tomorrow then." He turns away, cape flaring dramatically behind him. "My complexion is going to suffer," he grumbles. Eber hops after him, climbing onto his shoulder pad.
"Get boy cub soon. Make him safe," he promises. Eber has plans already in his head—he knows this cub needs help, even if he'll bite and growl about it.
"We had better."