The Beanies had been chilling in one of the many villages littered around the main Crescent Isle islands for a number of days now, as the foggy days made the roads less safe for travel and the Beanies had little interest in pushing their luck. They've made fast friends with the locals once they got past the 'what the heck even are these walking talking teddy bears' stage, and the children in particular were quite fond of the Beanies, wishing so dearly they could hog these energetic little buddies for themselves.

One of these children, Haruna, had been pretty depressed ever since her father left for some kind of conflict that was going on in the isles and their fellow friends, including the Beanies, have been trying to cheer her up to no avail. Today was another day where Haruna mostly sat at the corner of the empty lot that served as the kids' play area when out of nowhere, she stood up, shouting "I have to go after dad!" and ran into the woods. Goody, largely out of reflex, ran after her and managed to latch onto her as she rushed off, but everyone else hadn't the speed to keep up with her. Oh dear.

So now Haruna's mother was frantically asking for anyone who could help her bring her daughter back alongside Star and Chili, with Chili having to restrain Star from attempting anything stupid. Demony was largely enjoying this turn of events. A desperate Star made for a surprisingly delectable multiflavoured dessert, even if it had less to eat due to Goody being too far away to leech on.

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Quest Name: In my father's foot steps
Participants: Two or more
Location: Crescent Isles
Post Requirements: 5 post per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: The civil conflict taking place in the Crescent Isles has been amping up, and has started spreading across the country side, making it hard to ignore. While the direct conflict seems to be between the crown and a band of local rebels, everyone is feeling the pressure, while some are even being called to join the fight. A mother from a nearby village has reached out, claiming one of her young children has fled into the wild to join their father who has left to fight. The child however has fled into battle infested lands and is not yet prepared to fight such an enemy. She is asking for help in bringing her child back and safe, while maybe also helping them to understand. 

After talking to Haruna's mother lycanlord Koda was more than ever willing to travel to the ends of the earth to Haruna. Since both of Koda parents where killed he knows the pain this mother is feeling along side Midnight who knows this feeling far to well as well. Koda found Goody and had the idea to have Midnight track down the others along with Haruna.

"Don't worry Goody Midnight has the best smelling ability I promise we will find both of them."

Koda put Goody on Midnights back to keep safe. 

"I'm pretty sure we have everything we need to go and start looking I don't belive we are to far behind them so we should get going so we don't fall any further behind. I wounder where Haruna's dad was stationed at the battle." 

Koda Midnight and Goody start head toward the end of town and on the was Koda pulls out some berries out of his pocket he grew earlier and hands one of the sweetest berries that could have been eaten. And they started dashing towards the small woods at the edge of town.

"Why can't it ever be a nice inn looking over the ocean facing the sunrise instead of a battle torn land?"
 "Besides Midnight's since of smell do we have any idea of where Haruna might be heading maybe we can cut her off before she gets to her destination?"

King was walking past the town as he saw two cloth bears and a worried mother looking for help. having nothing else to do and wanting to continue doing good things for people he walked over to help them.

"you seem worried, what is the matter?"

after being filed in that Haruna and a third bear (Goody) had gone missing, presumably into the forest, king stated.

"ill help the bears find your daughter and the third bear, its also reassuring to know there is a third... fifth out there looking"

he than started to look for the kid and the third bear with the other bears. sadly king couldn't find any clues however he hoped the two bears may find something while he was guiding them threw the forest searching for the missing child and other team member. he used sticks and branches every now and than to point a path back to the last stick or branch leading to town as he didn't trust his sense of direction in this forest

"well I'm kind of lost as to whare to go to search from hear, i hope you two have a little more luck than i have at searching while i fallow behind for a little"

he stated as he lets star and chili lead the way now.

On one end, Goody found themselves thrown away when Haruna realized they were clinging on to her.
"Let go of me! I'm going!" Haruna shouted angrily.
"But-" Goody failed to get a word in edgewise before the hand of a mere child plucked them from her clothes and sent them flying up and landing on dirt. After all, a mere child was still infinitely stronger than a bear of cotton, beans and cloth.

As Goody recovered and tried to chase after Haruna once again, they'd realise they had no idea which direction she'd headed towards. Goody has always been terrible with directions. Oh dear. As Goody struggled to decide what to do next, they'd find someone approaching and stayed as still as they could.

To Goody's relief, it was someone who was also looking for Haruna and so they did not resist being placed atop a wolf, even if they weren't particularly fond of animals per se. Goody could only shrug at the question about where Haruna's dad was stationed. The Beanies were far from politically savvy fellows, though maybe they should have practiced a little more situational awareness.

"Thank you, Mr. Koda, but Goody cannot eat fruit," Goody gently rejected the berry offering and gave it back to him.

On the other end, Star and Chili were with King and riding on Demony. Demony was seething internally at having to serve as cabbie, but the Beanieventures hath no fury like an angry Star-plush. Their rage, when directed at Demony, was like eating and swallowing glass shards, while their single-minded concern for Goody's safety tasted mostly like wet tissues, with the occasional mix of danger in it. It was obvious which one Demony would prefer. Star felt exasperated when King asked them to lead the way instead and was tempted to explode before Chili managed to calm them down. Star closed their eyes and attempted to intuit which direction Goody was at. Far from the first time Goody had gone missing.

"That way!" Star pointed towards a direction leading to a river.

When Lord,  Midnight, and Goody got to the river they noticed that the sent of Haruna's disappeared at the edge of the the water.

"OKay Midnight take the other side of the water search for any kind of tracks that can leads away from the water i seems like she might have tride to cross here but the water seems a little fast. So she might have been swept down river maybe."

Lord knows that his size being a half-ling even he would have a trouble crossing the rushing water would carry him away. So before Mid night crosses the water Lord grabs Goody so the little stuff bear doesnt get swept away.

"Hey Goody if you spot anything with those closer to the ground granted I have grown up in the woods tracking it's always great to get others point of view."

"Oooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!"

When Lord hears this as he is searching his side of the river he ties a stick to a rope and throws it with all his might to Midnight. Midnight jumps up and grabs the stick and rope and plants his paws in the ground. Lord ties the rope around him self and Goody and winks at Goody and runs and leaps as far as he could to cross the river. With lords short legs he didn't even make it half way but with the rope him and good didn't get rushed down river. Lord started kicking towards the side of the river that Midnight howled from and climbs put soaked but safe. Lord see what Midnight was signaling about it was small drag marks coming out of the water with a little clothing fabrick heading away from the river. 

"Okay it's getting even later and with this fog it's kind of cold we need to find Haruna since she is soaking wet she's going to be cold! We need to hurry."

soon after Lycanlord Koda jumped and swam over the river King could be seen approaching from the side he just was holding Star and Chili in each hand (Demony must be happy there not the ride but mad king doesn't notice him).

"well you must be goody, nice to meet ya, i see we are working with that guy... should probably get his name and tell him mine. anyway I'm guessing yall have tracked him to the other side of the river."

he preps to go deep in the river yet gets really shocked when its not even "shoe" deep

"well this is disappointing to me. nice to know i found the one spot that's low in this speeding river"

he stepped back out, found a nice old fallen log, and placed it across the river for the Beanie gang. he placed another stick/log to find the path back to town. after witch he crossed the river in the low spot, and starts searching the other side for the kid now that the gang is relatively close

'hope the kid is not in the battle field area nearby, at least i think its over this direction, if they are though, we may need medical aid as war comes for every age no matter your race for the most part"

Goody appreciates Lord lifting them up so they wouldn't get wet. Water is scary and Goody was trembling fearfully throughout, unable to hide their hydrophobia, especially considering how rapid the flows were.
Goody would let out a loud, relieved "Googie..." as Lord successfully reaches the other side of the river bed.

Star was about as fearful of the river as Goody was, while Chili was gluttonously wondering what types of aquatic life could be thriving here. Soon, they would find themselves on the other side, where a halfling was holding Goody.
Star, once they were close enough to Goody, immediately did a pouncing leap, tackling them and sending both of them falling to the floor as both of them were on elevated positions.
"Goody-plush!!!!!!!" Star hugged and nuzzled Goody like there was no tomorrow, and Goody felt suffocated despite the fact they didn't have to breathe. Demony was recoiling in the background at the sheer intensity of the lovey-dovey scene that was unfolding in front of them, and went to be a party-pooper by forcibly coming in between the two. Star glared at Demony, but Goody pointed at the drag marks. They should get a move on indeed. Haruna couldn't have gotten much further with how wet she must've gotten in the process.

In fact, Haruna seemed to be just a short distance in front of them now as the sounds of a fall could be heard. Oh dear.

Midnight had also heard this fall and started to run in the direction of the fall. 
Lord yells out.

Hey Midnight be gental she's probably not used to wolves in the woods helping and you might scare her. Just stay back and make sure she is safe."

Lord starts hearing metal clashing further frome where the fall. And starts running behind Midnight.

"Come on guys this can get a little scetchy."

Running towards the sound jumping over fallen logs and sliding under tree branches. It's like lord never left the forest he was more like apart of it close to it. Lord pulls out his Shillelagh expecting anything to happen worried more for this child than his old life.

"Don't worry Haruna we will find you and make sure you get back to your mother we will get you back no matter what I swear." 

Midnight see a tall tree standing there in the path but also noticed some of the leaves and ground disturbed at the bottom of the trunk looking like it's whe Haruna had fell and it looked like it leads to behind the tree.  Midnight just sits watching his surroundings waiting for Lord and the others to arrive. A few moments later he hears a noise coming from behind him knowing it had to be Lord and the others so he looked back and laid down. 

King arrives a little after lord and a good bit ahead of the Beanies. when he arrives he starts checking her arms, legs, and head for any wounds. only finding a few scrapes common for kids in forests. he hears battle sounds far away however they kind of sound as if they are approaching.

"we should get her back to town before the battle possibly get's here"

King than asks if she is feeling ok as she is coming back to consciousness, asking the normal "are you ok", "you feel any pain", and "can you walk" kind of questions. after a bit of chatting we convince her to fallow us back home. the sounds of battle have definitely gotten closer, or king was very paranoid, and started guiding every one back towards town via his stick/log pointing path. along the way he kept asking questions and all that to the kid, such as

"so why did you feel the need to help your father"  "Thinking before acting brashly is a good idea"  "your mouther is worried ya know" and "if you want to support your father you can help your mouther at home"

King was oblivious to the fact that the kid was looking back the wat they had come while fallowing him on the "path" to town.

"Dad... Dad's not strong at all. He's always just reading books and talking to people while mum does all the heavy lifting." Haruna answered King.
"But-" As Haruna tried to give further answers to King's enquiries, the Beanies would come up to Haruna and give her a hug, jumping up to her torso without care that she was drenched.
"Waiting sucks. Star-plush knows that feeling well," Star jumped up to Haruna's shoulder. "Every waking moment you're separated, you can't help but wonder if your loved one is safe, if you should drop everything and check on them, or imagine terrible scenarios they might possibly have found themselves in."
Goody jumped up onto the other shoulder. "Sometimes you just have to hope for the best. And keep yourself safe so that they have someone to return to."
"Star-plush is sure Haruna's mum is worried about Haruna's dad too," Star continued, as Haruna remained quiet, ruminating for a retort she could use. "That feeling Haruna has welling up in your gut? Haruna's mum has it too, for both Haruna and Haruna's dad."
"But Haruna's mum understands your safety is more important. No good parent wants to outlive their child," Goody said wistfully.
Chili isn't good at any of these emotional heart-to-heart talks, so they just continued hugging as their fellow Beanies did most of the wordsmithing. Demony doesn't have the emotional depth to understand any of it, but it did find Star's concern for Goody to be an odd flavour. Indescribable, even.

"Hey Haruna just know no matter what your father loves you! And trust me being away from any parents even if they are just taking a walk is scary I lost both of my parents and I was younger than you. But I can tell you this they are still with me and me helping people is how I can keep them alive because that is what they taught me. Your dad might not be tough or strong but there is a possibility that he's helping in other ways especially with his intellect being well read. I will keep him and your family in my heart."

After saying this trying to ease Haruna's aching heart Lord pulls out a handful of berries and fruits trying to hand them to Haruna. He then fell back a little and placed his hood up and put it over his face, then places his hand on Midnight, letting Midnight lead him the same direction as the rest at the same time keeping his gaze checking their six. 

The sounds of battle might be fading but you never know how far soldiers might be scouting. Even though she is with us all that matters is getting her home to her mother. 

"Midnight I hope what I said wasn't insensitive I really hope her dad will return some day she still gets that possibility ours will never come home to us but I ment it that they live on with us I see your parents every time I look at you. Frostbyte your fathers white eyes and Abyss's your mother's black fur. They would be proud of you and I hope mine would be."

Right then Midnight nudges Lords shoulder and smiles.

along the way back kind was taking the sticks and logs and tossing them aside as someone might find them and wonder whare the stick in the ground is taking them.

"i do believe we are close to town"

he states as he sees the trees start to clear up. he stops around fifty feet from the edge of the woods and turns to Haruna.

"I under stand being restless, and your probably going to be talked to by your mother, so ill keep this relatively off the you are bad person side of things mostly because your not a bad person, you have just chosen to do what you think is best and that is ok. however if what you do is going to harm more people physically, mentally, or emotionally, than it helps, its probably not the best option for the situation. now i will say there are rare occasions for those decisions, but war is definitely not one of those good decisions at this point in time. now how about we stand tall wipe our tears, if we have any, and head back to your mother whom is waiting for her kid and 5 brave souls?"

king still couldn't notice demony.

Haruna kept mum throughout, accepting the berries but barely eating them as her mouth quivered, unable to formulate a response, but not having the appetite to eat either.

By the time the group arrived at the entrance of the village, early evening was upon them, what with the sun gradually setting faster as the winter season inched its way into the skies. Haruna's mother, standing by the entrance with a miserable look despite the chilly weather, would immediately rush over and cradle her daughter. Noticing her daughter was drenched, the mother would immediately drag her off to the public bathhouse to get her warmed up, and suggesting that Lord and King do the same given how wet they were waist-down. The Beanies, in the meantime, would summarily be Beanienapped by the other children wanting to know how the adventure went.

"Thanks, you two! We couldn't have done it without you," Star shouted as loud as they could to make sure their appreciation did not go unspoken.

The Beanies would find themselves set on a table in the public canteen surrounded by children as the former did their best to entertain their attentive listeners who largely salivated at the prospect of adventure. Adventures weren't always fun, but the Beanies aren't about to be dream-crushers as they presented various antics along the way. Demony found the Beanies' make-believe acting a foolish affair, and dreamed of more chaotic times. Civil war, was it? Perhaps there would be some carnage to be witnessed in the near future. After all, the Beanies were magnets that excelled at bringing themselves in trouble's way.

While the beanies was telling their adventures at the public canteen Lord offer to help the owner with serving the public by taking orders and offering to wash dishes for the night for a warm meal and a warm bed for the night. But every now and then getting caught up in the stories of these little creatures. But still passing out the drinks and food for people. Lord also wanted to stay in this village for a little time wanting to make sure the people here were safe even if most won't notice and that's fine. He also wanted to make sure Haruna was safe for the time being he doubts that he will be there long enough to see if her father is okay but we can only hope.
When Haruna and her mother finally showed up from the bath house they both seemed like they both where crying. Haruna sat down on the floor with the other children to listen to the stories Midnight walked behind her and layed down on the floor and let her use him as a pillow and for a second she seemed happy with him comforting her and not feeling alone taking her mind off of her father. For a brief second it seems like every one forgot the civil war happening. After the beanies stories of grand adventures of life in this world Midnight carried Haruna home on his back and then came back to the canteen with me.

wile everyone had fun and what not, king went to a government official for the area, or the town chef or whatever to report that the war was approaching the river in the woods, far off yes but if left alone could be a problem for the town. he than went to help the canteen for a bit as he noticed lord getting entwined in the stories. after witch he stayed at the edge of the forest till dusk to keep a watch out for the war possibly approaching. luckily there was no sigh's of it approaching, and he hoped it wouldn't cross the river in the forest. and that it would soon come to an end.

"yakow the war may have started for a stupid reason, but there will always be one who is determined to stop it for a good reason"

he turned back to the town and watched everyone, he than chuckle's to himself as he watches midnight taking Haruna back to her house, lord fallowing beside them. he watched as one by one people when inside to sleep and as all the lamps in there houses where turned off. king than continued to watch the woods till around midnight when every one had fallen asleep before heading out on his next adventure.