Noct Yaegir Trek For Treats

[Sigrith]

"Duvstrig."

It was early morning at Crobhear Keep and Gabriel Sionoma, the Keep's Warden, was still getting her name wrong. The man looked at the wolf who looked back at him, slowly pinning its ears.

"Noh, noh, that's not quite right yet is it... Duvstrike."

He thought he was being funny, or so the wolf believed, but this game had long since grown cold with rigor mortis if she had any opinion on the matter. The wolf had been a Yaegir for going on two years now, but she'd been a monster hunter her entire life.

"Darkstride," she corrected him, unamused.

"Oh I know that name," Sionoma furrowed his brow as he fiddled with his smoking pipe, "but it's not nearly as interesting as your real one."

The wolf snorted, made no remark to that, and shuffled her paws where she stood filling up the aisle between long tables of the mess hall, "What did you call me for."

"I need you to pup-sit."

"I'm already pup-sitting."

Sionoma made a sound of conflicted agreement, "Weeeyy--have another."

"I do not want another," said the wolf, her words enunciated clearly, "find someone else."

"But this one will be fun," Sionoma impressed, splaying his hands and wiggling his fingers.

The black wolf did not look impressed.

"It involves fae." The Warden waited a beat, noted the straightening of the wolf's posture, then cracked a grin, "you know our Alchemist, Moon, I'm sending him out to collect some rare ingredients from our spritely neighbors. Used to be Brier that went but eh..."

Brier the elf was dead.

"I figured your background with them might be useful... there you are Moon," Sionoma looked over to the entrance of the hall where Andel Moon had just arrived, "I've found you a chaperone."

 

[Andel Moon]

For a moment, he allowed himself to stare at himself in the polished silver that hung above his dresser. His armor covered him from neck to toe, save for his face and left arm, in colors of tan and cornflower blue. Amidst the rest of the Yaegir he must have stuck out like the moon in the night sky, which was likely his mother's intention when she'd had it made and sent to the Keep a few weeks ago.

"This is what I get for telling her I'm out in the field."

Sighing, Andel brushed his hair into a sensible low ponytail and made his way to the hall where the warden was waiting for him. He hadn't expected to be leaving with anyone else, so when he was met by Warden Sionoma's words, he lifted a blonde brow but turned to the Wolf, smiling.

"Darkstride right? A pleasure." He said, knowing almost everyone's names as it was one of his jobs to memorize and document. The Bow on his back was embossed with golden paint, and he honestly looked rather out of place as a monster hunter. Despite his bright visage, Andel held himself with an air of cool confidence and an easygoing smile.

"Warden, while I'm out, please continue to monitor the herd patterns of the Northside Winged Horses." Andel smiled brilliantly at Gabriel as he secured his trapping belt around his waist.

 

[Sigrith]

She'd not made an effort to interact with too many others during her time here, which wasn't especially unusual for the types of people the Noct Yaegir often recruited. Those who preferred their solitude, to work alone and in the dark. Seldom did someone so ... bright and grinny join their ranks. Or so she'd been told by the Warden back when Moon first settled in.

Bright colors did not a successful night hunter make. But Moon did not often get called to the field. As the Keep's Alchemist, typically he was working here on his research and using the ingredients brought to him by the active Yaegir. More than once she'd dropped the carcass of some slain beast at the lab's door.

"Sure," Sionoma replied over a calm puff of his smoking pipe, "sure I'll do that..."

He wasn't going to do that.

The wolf snorted and looked to the boy, "The pleasure's all yours." Without another word she turned and stepped back down the aisle to the exit.

"Heed her guidance," the Warden pointed his pipe after the departing wolf, "she always comes back."

Which was more than one could say for a good deal many other Yaegir.

 

[Andel Moon]

Andel sighed when the Warden said 'sure', he then took out a small notebook and wrote something down before sliding it back into his bag. It was clear that he was disappointed, but he had a job to do, and retracking the horses wouldn't be too difficult; it was just time-consuming.

Moon wasn't just an Archivist, and he'd seen combat before and earned his metal, but he understood that most saw him in the lab or nose fully in a book. He didn't take offense to the assumption that he needed a sitter. He would just prove them wrong.

"Well, this should be fun." He said, sarcastically as he followed out of the door without another word to the Warden. Was the silent treatment generally helpful? No. Was he annoyed at the man? Yes.

Once outside of the keep, Andel took out another notebook that had several maps drawn onto the pages and found the one they would be using.

"So, what do we need to know?" He asked the Wolf, keeping the conversation business as it seemed she didn't really like him much.

 

[Sigrith]

Need to know indeed.

The wolf had kept her pace even, making no effort to wait for her pup as she made way to the west wing of the keep and the exit that would bring them out to the stable yard. Andel would be needing a horse if her suspicions were right, and her suspicions were usually right. He caught up soon enough.

"We need to know what ingredients you are to acquire," though she had little knowledge of who or what Brier previously dealt with for purchasing fae ingredients, she was faintly aware of where they might go to find them.

"Did he give you a list?"

 

[Andel Moon]

Andel stopped in his footsteps to rummage through his notes and then nodded. The man was often prepared, and today was no exception. In his notes was a list of the ingredients they needed to gather, how to do so safely and efficiently, and where they were generally found. All according to the literature provided in the keep.

"I have a list and how to find them. I was asking you if we needed to be prepared for anything, given that the Warden seems to think this is a two-person job. I wonder what dangers would warrant that." He said, checking up on the horses as he moved through the stable yard. His field of study was monsters, but as such, he knew quite a bit about animals. Once he saw one that seemed restless, he smiled and decided to saddle her up.

"I'm aware that the last person to do this particular mission has passed, which is why I've been asked to handle it despite it being out of my specific purview. However, I don't know why you were asked." Andel looked up to the Wolf as he tightened the saddle around the mare before getting his equipment settled and secure.

"I don't mean to be intrusive, I just like knowing all the facts."

 

[Sigrith]

The wolf moved over to a nearby water trough to sate her thirst in preparation for a long run. The mountain slopes around the Keep were rather bare of useful ingredients. They'd be making way for the forests at the very least, but she had a suspicion they'd be going even farther than that. Perhaps so far as to warrant a Portal Stone key.

"I was asked because it involves fae," replied the wolf, purple-splotched tongue passing over a maw big enough to take in a man's skull. Whole.

"Fae are not to be trifled with." Looking to the man gave her the distinct impression that the fae would delight in tormenting him simply for how pretty he was. "Read to me your list."

 

[Andel Moon]

Andel nodded, taking the answer in as he pet the horse, Freckles, as he remembered her name being. He smiled softly as he slid his boot into the stirrup and rounded himself up and onto the saddle, his hand coming down on the side of the horse's neck to soothe her.

"Many things aren't to be trifled with." His voice lowered as he straightened in one fluid motion before taking out the list and reading it aloud. Many of the items didn't seem too difficult to gather, however, some had very little known as to where they grew or how to harvest them. As he spoke, he made sure to inform his companion of whether they had directions or not.

"I researched what I could dig up in the archives, but honestly, some of the items don't seem to be very specific. I'll have to use best guesses or references to other plants in the area. I'm not really a plant expert. I just have a knack for research and following directions." He put the notebook in a pouch and took Freckle's reins before nodding.

"I'll follow your lead."