Of course he was nervous about getting closer to Iromar but he couldn't show that in front of Niyol! He needed to be strong and show his brother that there was nothing to be afraid of. So he puffed his chest out and he trotted right into the muck, only slowing a little as it pulled at his paws and got stuck in the fur of his chest and stomach. He flicked an ear back as Niyol agreed with him but he caught the slight stutter in the word. Was Niyol scared? He glanced back, acting like he was looking over his brother's shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed but really he was checking his brother's features. He never knew Niyol to be scared. Was he not doing a good job of showing him it was safe as long as they were together? He straightened up even more, forcing his tail to wag faster.

When he told Niyol that he'd found a piece of the stone, Niyol bounced over, exclaiming that they'd found a piece, but just then, a growl sounded and Mochimal paused, ears swiveling alertly as his hackles went up. Who was there?! His eyes widened in shock but he wouldn't let the fear show. Not in front of Niyol. As Niyol turned to the sound, Mochi followed his gaze and took in the wolf's smell as he stepped out of cover. He smelled strangely like Taviora but Mochi had never met him before. He was about to ask who he was but Niyol beat him to the punch. Apparently, his brother did know him. He said something about being helped into a tree and then asked the wolf if he stole his power stone. Mochi was pretty sure he'd heard the wolf say they were taking his plunder so that should have answered the question. But why? He smelled of Taviora and of course, Mochi knew that actually, no one had taken the stone. He'd just gotten rid of it.

But Niyol couldn't know that. He glared at the wolf from over his brother's shoulder, suspicious of his intentions. Deciding he needed to be the defender in this case, Mochi rushed the wolf, aiming to throw himself at the wolf's front leg, hoping to make him trip into the thick mud they were still in. As he leapt at the wolf, he yelled at Niyol. "Niyol, run!" He wasn't sure if his brother would listen or not but this sounded like as good an adventure as anything. He growled and snarled at the other wolf, waiting to see if Niyol had taken off first before he glared up at the wolf. "Just who do you think you are, pretend spy and pirate? That's right, I'm onto you."