Lidiya was too caught up in it, and barked joyfully as Kodak dragged her through the water slightly, not really caring what he thought about it. Or how she looked longingly at the waterfall once Kodak had gone into the shallows, wondering what it'd be like if she stood directly underneath it. How wet would it be? Would there be anything behind it?

But once Kodak issued the challenge, she freaking took it. Secret princess indeed- she was going to catch Kodak. Growling playfully, she dashed after Kodak, out of the water, dripping wet but still not caring, and as Kodak made the mistake of looking back to see where she was, she bowled right into his side. Going far too fast to stop like Kodak did, she knocked them both over into a heap of wet wolf, Lidiya somewhat lying on top of Kodak's flank and stomach for a slightly awkward moment before she scrambled with her front paws to get up.

She may have paused a second too long before doing that, overcome by the feeling of simply liking being like that, but she discardd yet another useless thought again. Probably just another thing from her heat, she told herself.

The only problem was she no longer entirely believed everything she did with Kodak was solely due to that.

"Prince Charming apparently didn't run fast enough," she jokingly smirked at Kodak wihou any bite. She was simply enjoying herself, still in the moment with Kodak and nothing else mattering.

---

Unfortunately, "nothing else mattering" was changing very rapidly. Nikolai watched for a moment as a party of wolves seemed to pass along their territory.

He was smart enough to know that that was the path that Kodak and Lidiya had taken the other day. In fact, they were practically tracking it. Additionally, it didn't look like just stragglers hoping to recreate what Kodak and Lidiya did.

This looked like a war party. And war parties weren't good, not when their pack was right there. Even though this war party looked small, who wouldn't say there was a second one on he way?

Nikolai had no idea how true that statement was. All he knew, as he stepped out of the bushes and looked suspiciously at the intruders, that they were bad news. Not like how Kodak and Lidiya had come, but in a significantly different way.

"Who are you? And what business do you have with the Plumrose River Pack?" Nikolai kept his tone diplomatic, but as he surveyed the party, distrust raising his hackles, he didn't know if he could even trust their answer.

Lidiya's breath caught slightly as Kodak looked at her, heart picking up a faster tempo even as he turned back to the stream. She followed him, at a more setade speed now, mind whirling.

This couldn't just be the result of her condition. Could it? Somehow, she doubted it. It was justt a conicidence that they were at the same time - she hoped.

She was snapped back to reality by Kodak asking her a question. Inwardly trying to bring herself back into shape, she nodded and jumped up to where Kodak was next to the waterfall. Lying down on her front forepaws and looking at Kodak from below - gods, how could he have such a look on his muzzle and remain so composed at the same time? - she thumped her tail once on the rocks as a signal to him to proceed, even as her mind tumbled yet again.

She shouldn't be getting so distracted by Kodak, but she was. Whatever was going on between them, she was already a part of it whether she had thought about it or not - if she was being honest, she had, a lot - and she was just... doing her thing.

Well, not really. This time Kodak was with her. But clearly Kodak wanted to have a talk, and not a "you chase me this time" kind of talk.

Of what? Lidiya was afraid to think of what, exactly, even though she felt like she knew. Her mind threatened to tumble off it's ledge again, but she waited for Kodak to speak.

---

Nikolai wasn't having as great of a time as they were, unfortunately.

The pros of these wolves that had almost intruded on their territory - at least they were polite. They didn't threaten him directly, as some might. But they didn't seem too friendly, either.

Don't lie to me. Those were spoken with enough compellation and dominance that Nikolai blinked in wariness of them. Not that he'd force himself to acceed - Plumrose River was still definitely far stronger than this "war party", as they seemed to be. But now a red light was blinking in his head as he remembered who, exactly, that this guy - ... his name was Hoku? From a paack that also rang a bell in his head.

Kodak was prety much a white wolf with a brown saddle. He was large, definitely larger than him (most wolves were, but it would be a good idea to not mention that to Nikolai). Kodak was from East Mountain Pack, like he'd said three days ago. And he was travelling with a female - Lidiya.

Well, this wasn't good. Nikolai completely understated it as, without portraying any of the fear he had, looked at Hoku with deference but still standing solid.

Nikolai's first instinct was to lie. Kodak was part of their pack now, and he couldn't betray them.

But he couldn't lie either. He was a terrible liar, and they'd pick up on it in about five seconds.

"Maybe you should talk to Alpha Kodu about this matter." Nikolai's playful exterior was dropped in the face of this. Truly, he had no idea what would come out of this - just because he was information-gathering din't mean he'd gotten this far. And right now, this far wasn't enough to understand everything that was going on, but it was already far too much to implicate him into this web.

"I can lead you to him, and you can have a chat. All I ask is that you respect his orders while you are on our territory." Nikolai wondered what he'd have to say about a war party turning up a couple of days after Kodak and Lidiya did.

Kodu would have a way to fix this. After all, while scouts were meant to fix things that they could fix themselves, this was so obviously so much further out than what they'd ever preapred him for.

He was stuck in the web of Kodak, right in the middle. And truthfully, he didn't know what to tell Hoku. So he'd let Kodu figure it out.

Damnit. That wasn't what she'd been expecting him to ask.

Gosh damn it.

It took her a second to marshal her thoughts into order and reply. "I..." Her mind was clearly still somewhat lost on what Kodak didn't ask compared to what he did ask. "I... it could be either, really, Kodak," she said, meeting Kodak's gaze. "It depends if they pursued us. It depends if Kodu would do something to stop them. It depends on too many factors for me to give an answer. But-" her voice broke slightly and she unconsciously shuffled closer to Kodak slightly, "- I wish I knew. The pack is nice. The alpha is nice. But... Kodak, I just don't know." She took comfort in Kodak's presence and warmth as she kept going, oblivious to how much closer to Kodak she'd gotten a few moments earlier.

Maybe even a small part of her mind was still stuck on what Kodak didn't say compared to what he did.

Averting her gaze and looking out over the ledge, she continued. "Kodak, you know what I did to free you was right. You'd have died otherwise. But the packs - my old pack - pursuing us clearly don't think the same way." As easily as it had come to her to move closer to Kodak, she trusted Kodak enough to keep talking. "Can't they understand it from my point of view? How I would have felt seeing you there, on death's row like my mother had been?" She didn't bring up her mother often. It brought up too many painful memories. "I just want some certainty. I don't want to keep running, but there's too many factors that I need to rely on if I acknowledge we stop running. Plumrose River needs to be able to tell anyone still pursuing us no. They need to stop pursuing us, for god's sake!" Lidiya's thoughts were too full, too bottled up, really, to keep them stuck there for much longer.

"I gave up my old pack, my younger brother, my status quo in life to make sure you didn't die, Kodak." She'd inevitably reached this conclusion through her thoughts. "Surely that should mean something?" She looked back up at Kodak again, somewhat afraid to see what he'd be thinking after her outburst.

---

Nikolai's day was already getting worse by the second, in comparison.

This wolf seemed ready to rip him into shreds. In fact, he'd probably take enjoyment in it.

Nikolai was loyal to his pack, but when he was clearly outmatched by a war party, with no backup, and quite possibly imminent death, he cracked.

Who wouldn't, in his situation? He was outmatched, outnumbered, outgunned. He either told the truth and disclosed some information to the war party - who was quite clearly looking for them, now that he figured it in his brain - or he protected them and got ripped to shreds, and the war party would probably know they were here anyway, so he'd have lied and died for nothing.

Has anyone told Nikolai he's a terrible liar yet?

"... fine. Have I seen them? Yeah, I have." Nikolai's defeated tone forced it's way out. "Now what? If you don't want to talk to the alpha I don't see how this can end other than a lot of wolves dying." Plumrose River was most certainly big enough to withstand an attack from a war party this size.

---

Deverick knew they'd be getting closer when they started smelling new markers. Namely; the wolves from East Mountain, whose scent seemed to be an hour's or so ahead.

The trail was getting fresher as they moved on. The party moved with slightly more vigour - they could all sense it, they were getting closer.

How much closer? Deverick hoped it was soon.

He was closer than he thought he was.