To venture from the Northlands.

[Spectre]

The woods were fairly dark due to the thick foliage and tall trees. It was nearing evening time, as the sun was beginning to fade, and would be twilight in a few hours. Being able to tell this from being on the floor of the forest, however, was nigh impossible. It was just a little less bright than it was earlier, and that was all you could really know.

Knowing this, Keyan quickly finished the small ties on his makeshift canopy made of leaves and branches, and began digging a pit to light a fire. It would be getting cold soon...

Standing up and wiping his brow, the pit was finished. Keyan looked around, curious... His ears picked up movement. Standing silently, his left ear twitched a bit following the movement. He took a few silent steps over to his 'tent' and picked up his leather belt and sword, holding the sheath close to the hilt and near his waist.

He was good at keeping hidden, but if he were found by the vermin who overran the fort, he would completely refuse to be held prisoner in "Vihata", as it was called now. His head looked over his should to expand his peripherals, while his ears followed the movement as it got close...

Whatever it was, Keyan swallowed hard, and slowed his breathing, awaiting for whatever it was to emerge from the brush near his campsite...

[Malum]

Amor sighed, turning to look back at her fort before hunching her shoulders forward in determination as Squidge came up behind her.

"We'll be back, Amor... We'll return one day..." He tried to comfort her, as she sighed, and turned to give him a small smile.

"Thank you Squidge... I know... I just can't believe my sister would do this to us... To everyone..." Amor murmured, turning back around to head farther away from her home, away from her last remaining family member.

They stumbled off into the thick forest, Amor trudging ahead, and helping Squidge whenever there was a particularly difficult place to walk.

Suddenly, Amor stopped, her ears pricked forward. Squidge, not expecting her to stop so suddenly, ran into her. He jumped back a pace, and opened his mouth to apologize when she silenced him with a look. She slowly and quietly stepped forward, eyeing the creature through the brush.

Her pupils dilated as she eyes the mouse, a small smile gracing her lips. She motioned Squidge forward, as she brushed herself off a bit, and, keeping a paw on her sword, she stepped forward from the brush, Squidge following soon after. She eyed the mouse carefully, making sure to keep an eye on the paw on his sword.

[Spectre]

The brush shook as two foxes emerged with a rustling. One white, the other brown.
Foxkind! Shot through Keyan's mind and his heart rate sped up. In a quick draw and a silent inhale through his nostrils, he drew his sword. It didn't look anything special, but it would, however, look sharp. The draw would sound like steel passing over leather quietly, as the inside of the sheath was leather, and the outside was hard cased. The movement was swift and fast, his long, dark, and dirtied red cloak fluttered behind him a bit with the motion.

The sword held out with one hand, the blade pointed diagonally toward the ground beside him, he wouldn't have known any better who these two were. He had little trust for others who weren't mice in the first place, none the less two 'foxes'. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he spoke out. His voice young but strong, thinly coated in an educated accent with a certain bravado,

"Who ah' you?" He stepped back with one footpaw, and slowly looked to both of the foxes before him. He didn't want to fight. He stepped back with his other foot, and again with his other, his left footpaw behind him again. "I've got nothing you want- and I'm certainly not going back t' the fort with ya". He didn't make another move. His heart raced. No matter how often he's been in clashes, his heart always raced, but his hand stayed ever steady. He blinked, and looked between the two, just awaiting them to make their move. He began playing through scenarios in his head of how they would attack- assuming they were part of a vermin patrol....

[Malum]

Squidge flinched visibly when the sword was drawn, his own hand grasping for his own. His eyes we wide with fear as he kept a paw on the hilt, waiting for Amor to tell him what to do.

Amor tilted her head, thinking for a moment before smiling warmly at the mouse. She kept one paw on her sword as she spoke out calmly.

"I am Amor, and this is Squidge," She said, and Squidge stepped forward a bit, as Amor looked back at the mouse.

"Who are you?" She asked, stepping forward a bit, studying him.

Her ears were perked forward in interest, eyeing the mouse carefully to see if he posed any danger to her and her friend, Squidge. She eyed the sword more carefully, making sure to keep a paw on hers in case she needed to defend herself.

"The- the Fort? Fort Amor..." Amor cut herself off, suddenly downcast as she corrected herself. "Fort Vihata? Why would we take you back there? We were just run out of there by Vihata herself."

[kidluke]

Grubbler stood silently, with his ear pressed against the roof of his tunnel. He heard their conversation clearly enough, and from their footsteps, he guessed this creature, Squidge, was the tastiest. His footsteps sounded tasty. "We'm h'gonna get oos ah gud meal h'sooners h'then latter."

He waited, quietly listening. Grubbler was patient, he knew how to wait. It was only natural to need food. They were food. "It'z h'gonna sun be h'feastin' toime, yussire," he chuckled darkly; the hunt was on.

[Spectre]

He noted the brown fox's expressions, and watched him step forward. Kayen sidestepped a little to stay the same distance away as he had started. He noted the white fox's calm demeanor still.

One calm, the other jumpy... he thought to himself, listening to the white fox. still too early to tell if... Then he heard the name 'Amor'. His mind began to race.
That is what this fort was named... At least originally. This must have been the countess of the encampment...!
The only reason he knew of this is word of mouth around a small shire in the southlands. The reason he came to the northlands in the first place, and the reason for his frustrations to scout the fort, finding it overrun with vermin.

He hadn't heard of the fort's reputation, only that it existed. So these two foxes themselves could be evil- with all the infighting between the vermin gangs, these two could just be part of a weaker troop. This mouse was not one to trust anybeast's first impressions. Especially foxkind.

Kayen did not answer her question, at least at first. He watched as Amor stepped forward, and Kayen himself stepped to the side again, his sword hand drew back a bit, and his free hand drew foreward.

Eeeasy does it... swam through his head...

They hadn't drawn their swords. Maybe they were lulling him into a sense of false security. Though the situation seemed legitimate enough for him. The fort was overrun, and the countess escaped with one trusted follower. It was a tough decision, but he would act.

Pulling his sword up, he hesitated before shoving it's end into the scabbard and sheathing his sword. He figured if the foxes were to draw their weapons, he could draw out, too. But until then, he would try to give them a chance. Standing silently for a moment, mulling it over in his head before he spoke,

"...Amor..." he looked to the other, " Squidge..." he blinked, " "My name is Kayen Fastpaw. If yeh just fled the fort 'ere I imagine you're in need of a good sit". He began drawing his leather belt behind him and tied it afront, before it began sagging slightly to the comfortable position it always sat. He wouldn't be unarmed in the company of two strangers. But for now, he believed them.

"Well Met." he said genuinely, after the mistrustful sound to his voice had been sponged away. He stepped toward the big fire pit he just dug and nudged a dozen thin logs into it with percussive clatter. Their neat stack fell into the pit in a random pile.

[Malum]

Amor tensed slightly as the sword was brought up. Her hand on her sword clenches tighter in fear and readiness. But, as the mouse sheathed his sword, Amor relaxed, and her hand strayed from her sword. She nodded to the mouse in respect, bowing a bit.

"It's nice to meet you, Kayen Fastpaw," She said sincerely, eyeing the mouse as he sat by the fire, before motioning to Squidge to relax.

Squidge nodded in understanding, letting his hand drift from his sword, eyes still on the lookout for anything that could attack them. He watched as the mouse kept his sword on, and followed Amor near the fire.

Amor sat comfortably on the other side of the fire, making sure to keep some distance between her and the distrustful mouse. She pulled her haversack from behind her and laid it between her and Squidge as Squidge did the same with his. Amor eyed the mouse with interest before speaking up.

"So what are you doing in these parts?" She asked.

[Spectre]

Ignorant is what he'd play right now- as far as her name goes....
He squatted down on his haunches and leaned over the logs laying in the fire pit and began stuffing the middle with kindling. He looked up to them as he leaned over, tending to the logs-

"Came up here looking to speak with someone. However, in the current situation it doesn't look like I'm going to get that chance. At least not today." he huffed. Leaning back up to his squatted position, he sat down with a plop and drew his sword and lay it across his lap. Reaching behind him to a pocket on his belt he retrieved a small cylinder of flint.

"You two, did you both escape un-noticed? ...I mean, what happened....?" he asked, head tilted, sorrow in his voice. He knows the feeling of his home being overtaken by vermin... He then leaned forward, outstretching his sword a bit and flicking the flint along the blade, creating a handful of sparks that danced down to the dry kindling. The fire pit began to smoke slightly before Kayen started wafting air to the tiny embers of flame with his hands and blowing softly. His body was attending to the fire, but his eyes were fully attendant to his new company of two.

The fire began to catch in the pit. This would be tough to spot by anybeast several yards away, as it was dug into the ground. Kayen then leaned out to sheath his sword again, and awaiting an answer from either fox, he reached behind him and replaced the flint.

[Malum]

Amor nodded in understanding, deciding not to pry into the mouse's business. Instead, she sighed as she heard the question. Squidge looked at her in concern as she slouched a bit.

"We were... Well... Exiled, I suppose you could say, by my sister, Vihata... She... Overthrew me, claiming that I was a tyrant unfit to rule and that Mother and Father would have wanted her to lead... The guards believed her..." Amor sighed again, closing her eyes in tiredness.

"And then... They threw us out..." Squidge finished, when Amor seemed to not want to say more.

[Spectre]

"Your sister?" he asked, leaning forward a bit, sitting cross- legged.
Then it is not as I had feared...
He then saw the emotion and exhaustion. He knew that feeling.
He exhaled audibly, and ran a hand over his snout and mouth stopping at his chin for a moment. It seemed he was having some sort of internal dialogue before his hand fell to his knee and he nodded ever so slightly.
"Exiled from your own encampment. I almost know how that feels." He nodded, and tried to keep the conversation moving.

"It seems that our paths converge to one that is more similar..." he smirked. "Misery loves company, yeh?" he gave a single sharp exhale through his nose for a laugh at the predicament. He was looking for Amor. Now he'd found her. But now, she didn't have a fort's help under her command. Maybe she would still be aught of use.

He nodded to Squidge, then. "An' you. Who are you? How did you end up here?" he raised a brow. He assumed maybe he was family or something that the sister Vihata felt was not fit for death, or servitude.