[ P ] What an unexpected way to head home, running from three guys

Meissa bacchus

Nomads are said to know their way

The captain stood, form tight and calm, eyes sweeping the forest outside of the Imperial Barracks silently. She was not exactly on duty here, though when passing the guard had plead with her to take his place for but a moment so he could run and check on his pregnant wife, who was due any day now.

Allegedly, anyhow. She'd never spoken with the man before and would not have been surprised if he was just running home for a quick nap.

The woman craned her neck as a noise caught her ear from deeper in the forest. Her eyes flashed to the other guard, who offered little more than a shrug. Narrowed eyes returned to the forest and waited - until finally the other guard appeared from a different direction and sputtered apologies. She flicked an ear and moved, stepping past him with a silent nod before taking off into the woods, searching for the source of the sound.

She could only smell soldiers and those of the area, but if there was someone skulking about she was certain she wanted to know who it was and if they were meant to be there or not.

by an exact spot in the sky

I'll burn a thousand moons just to light a single sun There were still questions buzzing around in her mind like bees in their hive. The rumours had only deepened her appetite for the truth. It didn't make sense to her that the voxi would have any hand in the attempted murder of the king. The Voice was meant to be an icon of peaceful change, a hope for the people fed up with quarrelling monarchs. Xandria had been unable to locate the group she had previously connected with and question them about their involvement. It certainly threw a spanner in her plans to create change from behind the scenes as a soldier since she was troubled by their silence. The young lieutenant was on one of her routine patrols when a disturbance in the forest sent her hackles rising. The possibility of a bear waking from its long winter slumber was enough to set her on edge. Teeth bared, she growled in warning to the approaching figure. It was a wolf, not a bear. She lowered her lip and snorted at the woman. "They should put a bell on you," she retorted, one tan brow raised in question. The familiar smell of a fellow soldier was enough to lower her suspicion, but she wondered what she was in pursuit of. "Where's the fire?" she asked, golden eyes scanning the trees for a fleeing criminal. There was nothing, just a half eaten dock leaf that a rabbit had been eating only moments before.

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Meissa bacchus

Nomads are said to know their way

Her paws led her quickly through the brush, carrying her over stone and soil in the direction she had heard movement. Before long, a scent sharpened into focus and she spotted an earthen girl - woman - standing at the ready. Along her spine rose her fur, tickling up into the air in intrinsic response though it lowered slightly as the other's teeth were sheathed. Her steps slowed and she approached carefully, sniffing to take in the other's odor and find a place for it. Heavy with scent of other soldiers, it was clear where her guild position was - and so Meissa calmed, loosening her tightened muscles and scanning over the other.

She made some retorts and Meissa withheld the urge to roll her eyes or bare a fang.

Rank was not clear but this girl was clearly neither an exceptionally new member of the corps - for she had none of the leggy nerves of a new recruit - nor did the captain recall seeing her about during her own training. In the end, she figured this was a wolf in her second year - a soldier or lieutenant most likely. They were alone in the woodland so it wasn't as if they were required to show proper decorum... but Meissa had plenty of superiors who had a stick up their ass. A inhale informed her of no immediate presences besides the green eyed woman.

Perhaps before me, she murmured quietly, eyes set on the soldier, before lifting her voice to standard volume. Heard someone skulking around the Barracks. Did you see anything? While it wasn't exactly against any rules to be lurking, it was potentially suspicious... and made the white-cloaked captain curious.

by an exact spot in the sky

I'll burn a thousand moons just to light a single sun The pair scrutinised each other settling once they realised the other was neither a bear or an intruder. There was a sense of urgency about her fellow soldier that set Xandria on edge. Ever since the attack on the king the army had been on high alert for suspicious individuals and Xandria was no exception. Regardless of her personal beliefs she took her sworn oaths as an Imperial Soldier seriously. The soft murmur did not escape the earthen soldier’s attention and her lips twitched with the briefest flicker of a smirk touching the corners of her dark mouth. A wrinkle formed between her dotted brows when the soldier informed her of a suspicious person creeping around the Barracks. ”No signs of an intruder over here. Maybe if we head back to where you heard the noises we can flush them out,” Xandria suggested, deciding that an intruder was more important than a routine patrol. ”Lieutenant Xandria Tiamat. I don’t think we’ve met,” she introduced herself swiftly, knowing there would be little time to do so when they began their hunt for the shady character. Outside of her family and her stationed unit there were still many soldiers that she had yet to be introduced to. The war had left little time to get to know her comrades and then her father had died. It had been a chaotic first year in the army and she was trying to get back on track since taking personal time to ‘grieve' at least that was what the army believed. Her absence had been a quest for vengeance, one that despite its success left her feeling bitter and unfulfilled.

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Meissa bacchus

Nomads are said to know their way

The captain saw the shift in the other's face and blinked, thinking on it for a mere moment before it was brushed away. The conversation had moved on to business. Captain Meissa Bacchus - it's a pleasure. She gave a slight dip of her head and a short lift of her paw - a salute of sorts - before scanning the grounds the way she'd come. With a toss of her head, she began to walk towards the Barracks, eyes searching the shadows and every so often catching on the ground for prints.

After a fair few paces, she froze, eyes sharply drawn to a long, winding streak dug lightly into the earth. Her tail flew up immediately, a sharp sign of warning and alertness, before she took a step to inspect more closely.

There was not just one trail but several.

As well as deeper, shuffled prints of someone far heavier. A wolf and... snakes? she muttered, trying to catch the scent. There was something here that didn't quite belong, though it was covered by the stench of mud and other plant matter.

by an exact spot in the sky

I'll burn a thousand moons just to light a single sun Xandria offered a subtle nod to acknowledge the other’s seniority over her. She would follow her instructions if it was required of her, but with their plan in motion she figured that the Captain was happy enough with her suggestion. Paws carried her swiftly on her fellow soldier’s trail as she led the way back to where the suspicious character was last heard. Any other time she might have indulged in idle chatter with Meissa and gotten to know her. Work kept them busy for the moment and casual discussion was abandoned in favour of focus. Her steps slowed, golden eyes watching the Captain’s body language warily. A wolf and... snakes? ”What so we’re looking for a chimera?” she remarked playfully in a low voice as not to alert the intruder. The scents and tracks were unusual and exactly as Meissa described. Her dotted brow wrinkled together and she shook her head in confusion. ”Your call, Captain,” Xandria bobbed her head, letting Meissa take charge on their hunt for their lurker. The young lieutenant knew her place in the chain of command, regardless of being from different regiments. She wasn’t too proud to step back when she didn’t know how to proceed. Black tipped ears were erect and alert for any sign of movement. Why anyone would be lurking in a place swimming with soldiers was enough cause for suspicion. Especially since the recent attempt on the king’s life. For all they knew it could be a spy in the enemy's employ.

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the moon will swallow me whole

At the comment of chimera, Meissa's ear flicked back around to Xandria and then forward once more. For a moment... No, there were no such thing - not in her life, anyhow. Yet, for a moment she had wondered if perhaps the Lieutenant had actually believed it. It was brushed aside - most Mainlanders she knew held no beliefs in any such fables.

So, it was a joke.

The woman's lips tweaked in the slightest of a smile and she continued to study the tracks. Her nose led her to the bushes, where she inspected and let out a boof. She returned from them with an old sack in her jaw. The scent of wolf clung to the outside and of snake to the inside.

She dropped the sack in a pitiful pile between the two of them.

I think the snakes were brought here... Her eyes flashed in the direction of the Barracks and her eyes narrowed. Her nose went back to the sack and she breathed in, trying to pinpoint the scent. It was entirely unfamiliar, though that wasn't surprising as the captain hadn't gathered a mental nose-bank of all too many wolves yet.

From the trails, it looks like no more than two snakes were deposited here, perhaps to catch a soldier or two unaware. That meant the snakes were likely venomous.

I'll burn a thousand moons just to light a single sun The lieutenant didn't expect the captain to enjoy her humour. It had been an impulsive quip, but it was satisfying to see that it was appreciated despite the seriousness of their objective. Her more uptight superiors had scolded her before, lecturing her on professionalism. Xandria believed she could be a perfectly respectable soldier without becoming a soulless drone. She inspected the tracks a little more closely while Meissa investigated the bushes. Xandria was impressed that the captain had been able to recognise the marks on the ground as odd as they were. Her head snapped up when Meissa called to her upon making a discovery and brought it over. A cautious sniff confirmed the scents of both wolf and snake. "This is serious," she agreed, coming to the same conclusion as Meissa. Venomous snakes. All thoughts of tracking down the wolf were silenced once she realised that the snakes were a greater threat. "Have you ever hunted a snake before?" Xandria asked, glancing over at the pink eyed soldier. She crouched down, inspecting gaps between rocks and gently prodding foliage with a paw. A hissing sound from between the rocks forced her to back up. "Got one here, Captain," she alerted her, pointing with her nose towards the rocks. The thought that someone could deliberately endanger them like this made her bristle with anger. It was exactly the kind of slimy trick that the Thieves Guild would play and after their involvement in the assassination attempt it wouldn't surprise her if it was the case.

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