and my soul is just a silhouette [pack search party]

This is a non-mandatory AS search party for Larus. Ashur/Malachi has given us permission to detect Malachi's scent on the shore. No post order, post as little/often as you want.

Dismal grey fog rolled in across the coast, sheathing the world in a bruised hue. Across the bounding main gulls swarmed and the surf crashed thunderously against the swashline in seething roars and slow, receding hisses. She had howled earlier announcing her intent -- she expected soon the Ankyran wolves would rise from the sand like ghouls exalted and join her.

Caiaphas had thought of Spyridon's answer at length. Themiscyra would have thought Larus unworthy too. But she was much too prideful -- much too impetuous -- Larus was her claim and she could not sit idly in his absence. She was not ashamed of her rash action -- she hardly recognized how irrational she seemed -- and with the fervor of a rabid dog, the mangy coywolf paced wildly up and down the shore in the search of some sort of leading scent.

If the sisters were born of the sea, then the consorts had been born from the sand. The analogy made sense, if only because the sea was constantly molding the sand, pushing and pulling and making it do whatever it wished. The sea lorded above the sand, and yet it required the shore to keep on living, pulsing, breathing. Without the sand, the sea did not exist. Without the sea, the sand had no purpose.

Caiaphas had called for her followers, and Spyridon had arrived without any hint of objection. It may not have been what the sisters in the south would have done, but how could he know? He was no wolf born from the salty waters. Spyro was a wolf born of sand. “Βασίλισσα.” The single-word greeting was heavy with respect, and Spyro licked her chin in deference.

[size=medium] The call of the Siren Queen had been hauntingly magnetic. She had announced her intent, and he had understood the urgency though not the call. Still fresh and new to the Ankyran way of life, he had lingered a second longer than he should where he had stood before bolting off to follow the call. He could almost feel the tension, the hungry and unforgiving chill in the air was enough to alert him to the unknown problem. Stretching out his limbs he ran swiftly to his post, finding both Caiaphas and Spyridon waiting for the pack to show.
He immediately bowed his head and uttered a soft growl in greeting.
"My Queen," he offered the alpha before raising his head marginally, an inquisitive look on his features. "If I may be so bold as to inquire as to the nature of your call, since all I understood was the sentiment and not the call itself."
He took another step, head still lowered deeper than his shoulders and placed himself alongside the black male. He was curious and tense as ever, but somehow felt eerily comfortable awaiting his orders. Something was going to happen and he could hardly wait.[/size]

ty for the responses! no order post as much as you want -- anyone is welcome to discover malachi's scent. im thinking that not a lot of wolves would be traveling this close to ankyra so we can play it all by ear :)

The coywolf paused from her frenetic pacing long enough to allow Spyridon's approach -- with a jut of her narrow jaw she proffered a return lick before her sharp eyes fell on the grey silhouette of Nakai. As he approached she remained quite still save for the flutter of wind along her long spine-fur.

Still panting from her laborious search, she watched as the mist from her breath roiled above her skull and dissipated in the cold wind. Nakai had shown a great deal of promise to Ankyran life so far -- and in return, the female was courteous in her answer. Selecting the common tongue (of which she was most familiar) she spoke. "We are searching for a packmate, a pup. You may have scented him recently, it is the pup that is not Kevlyn." Briskly she turned, an ear flicked back as she awaited any questioning response -- and if none came, she would start loping down the strand to cover more ground.

[size=medium]He gave a deep rumble conveying his understanding. He had indeed caught the scent of a youngling different from the disdainful pup he had met when first encountering his pack, though he had never laid eyes on the stranger. His eyes narrowed in concern for the unknown pup; in his experience, the young rarely wandered far from the heartlands of pack territory and such a disappearance was reason enough for the male to crease his brow and sigh. He had always had a soft spot in his otherwise stoic character for puppies and even though he knew nothing of it's parentage, he believed that the strength of a pack was measured in how well they cared for their young. The fierce sound of his alphas voice further fueled his resolve.
"He can't have gotten far on his own. Under your guidance, my Queen, we shall find and recover him safely."
Confidence and reassurance swung along in his voice, a remnant from times long past, in which he had found himself caretaker and guardian of the young in his past home. He'd be damned if he let an Ankyran pup come to harm if he could help it. He could only hope, that the puppy had merely lost it's way.
Ready to set off on command, he lowered his head slightly and nudged Spyridons shoulder lightly with his head, (he really needed to learn how to communicate with the black male), submitting to whatever order he or Caiaphas might give him. The entire situation, to Nakai, was a double-edged sword. It was imperative that the pup be recovered and yet, he couldn't help feeling a certain amount of pride of being trusted enough to be allowed to help the endeavour.[/size]

moving this along!!

Nakai had no further question for her -- lowering her tapered muzzle, the waif trotted off along the sedge. She heard confidence lull his voice, and allowed a brief smile to linger on her narrow lips.

So intense was her prodding, so labored her nosing, she nearly missed the scent all together. Along the fold of sand and rush-plant, a familiar scent was tucked away -- shielded from the wind by lengthy tussock. Caiaphas froze instantly with her muzzle held low. Pressing her moist nose to the dry ground she inhaled slowly, identifying the mark of a male wolf aligned with Duskfire.

She remained stark still, though her hackles riffled upwards in alarm. Malachi had been here -- she looked up quickly as if to catch his form fleeing the strand. "Just as I thought." She hissed, squinting off into the distance where the illuminant rise of the Glacier rested.

[size=medium]Once the female broke into her search, Nakai followed suit. His graphite muzzle sunk low, prodding and searching every inch of the expanse of tussock and rush-plants before his paws for clues. His scouring at first was without result until a distinct smell caught in his nostrils and his head shot up. The scent was strange to the grey male, curiously familiar in it's core. Wolf, not from the Ankyran shores but wolf nevertheless. Male and lacking the softer notes that the scent of a young one typically possessed. Nakai gazed around to find Caiaphas gazing off into the distance, frozen in a stiff pose. The sheer sight of the the darker female in her imposing stance and alarming gaze was enough to awaken a primal urge in the grey male - the urge to war, to fight or hunt, to protect or punish. She commanded respect and thus commanded his limbs to follow whatever order she might give.
He found himself wandering closer, a look of strict composure on his features as he approached and he heard her hiss.
"He left his scent behind, the stranger."
It was neigh unbearable. Every fibre of his being was strung high and aching to set off to recover the lost pup that made up half of their pack's young in an effort to protect and serve. He was by no means longing for conflict, but the sheer tension of the situation was enough to spur his most animalistic and feral instincts. He wondered if this was how Spyridon had felt when he himself had trespassed upon pack lands before being permitted to join their ranks. If so, he owed the dark male an apology.[/size]

Tearing her gaze from the brilliant horizon where Duskfire sat, Caiaphas looked behind her where Kevlyn and Spyridon were but shadows cast against the sand. Soon they would catch wind of the scent and flank her -- for now, she would busy herself with tracking the meandering path Malachi had left behind.

The Siren Queen's ear flicked back as Nakai approached abreast of her -- she cast him a solemn gaze, her frenzied expression wrought with both hatred and anguish for the Duskfire wolves. Larus was hers, not theirs -- they had committed an unspeakable atrocity against the Ankyran wolves by taking one of their own.

"His name is Malachi." Caiaphas uttered quietly, as if speaking the very name would summon an apparition of the sundry-colored male. "Leader of Duskfire -- Larus' original home." She dropped her slender nose to the trail and started following the scent towards the Ridge. "They have stolen him from us." The withered creature hissed, her ears pulled back in disgust.

Spyridon had followed them, also picking up on the unfamiliar male scent, laced with that of Larus's own. Unlike Caiaphas, his expression did not change from his usual stoic one, and he pricked his ears forward to listen to their alien words. He caught only Larus's name in the mix of it, and Spyro looked quizzically to Caiaphas for an explanation, or even better, an order on what to do next. If Larus had been taken by this unknown male, perhaps one of the glacier wolves she had spoken of before, then it was possible she would demand conflict.

“Τι θα κάνουμε, βασίλισσα μου;” he asked, briefly glancing to Nakai for any indication that he might give off. Spyro saw great promise in the male, though he knew how difficult it could be to convert adults. Many of them could never fully commit to the cause, and Spyridon had seen late to the game consorts break many times back home. Perhaps Nakai was different, but Spyro would be hard pressed to ever trust him fully. For now, he still had much to learn. He spoke too much, and he still had not even begun to learn the language of the sirens.

The wispy Alpha shook, struggling to rein the outrage that threatened to consume her. They had taken him -- they had stolen him. Her lips twitched and for a moment it seemed the Siren Queen's expression was a transient mix of snarling hatred and willowy sorrow. As Spyridon came up behind them she managed to somewhat dissipate her temper.

Οι λύκοι Duskfire είναι υπεύθυνοι για αυτό . She spat into the dirt, her expression hateful. Malachi's scent wafted towards them, weak on the wind. He had passed here many days prior -- but it was proof enough for the irrational matron.

She swung her head then towards the direction of the Glacier, her countenance ominous. εμείς θα τους σκοτώσει . The finality behind her tone grave. Her expression, smoldering with hate, did not relent.

Murder was not something that Spyro batted an eye at. Much less so when the intended victim had stolen from his masters. So when Caiaphas indicated that the Duskfire wolves were to be killed, Spyridon merely nodded. How she intended to lead them to this, he did not know. He knew that their own numbers were small, though he did not know anything of the Duskfire wolves, how many they had, or even what they were like. Most outsiders, he had found, were similar to one another. They were often far too friendly, and because he could not speak to them without a translator, he often did not speak with them at all.

Spyridon stared in the same direction as his queen, eyes hard on the horizon where these thieves lived. There was work that would need to be done, and much planning, if Caiaphas truly wished for the death of them all. They would need to send somebody to scout them out, or perhaps somebody to lure them here. If they could entice the Duskfire wolves to come here, they would have a better shot at being the victors. The fight would be in their favor if they could fight on the land they knew well.

Caiaphas was thinking the same dark thoughts as Spyridon -- and as if the two were on similar wavelengths she turned her dark visage to the somber male. Θα χρειαστούμε ένα προσκόπων Last she had checked, she did not recall their numbers being vast -- if anything, Ankyra boasted stronger, more precocious members.

Σπυρίδων , θα πρέπει να μείνετε Given the Epivitoras did not possess the coarse tongue of the natives, he would not be much use for intel-gathering. Besides, Caiaphas was a shrew at best and did not wish to sacrifice Spyridon when he was an asset to preserving the Sound's security. Her gaze swept to Nakai carefully before turning back to the Epivitoras for an answer.

[size=medium]Nakai watched the exchange with rampant curiosity though he tried his damnedest to contain it. He was a stoic individual and proud to be hard to confuse, but the more he heard the tongue of his Ankyran family spoken, the more he yearned to know it. He made a mental note to ask Aella for help in this matter; of all the sisters, he reckoned that she was least likely to turn him away.
All the while he remained frozen still, head held high in anticipation. The tension in their ranks was almost palpable and from what Caiaphas had divulged, he was certain that bloodshed was ahead. He didn't mind such violence, he was a soldier, a lieutenant first an foremost. It was the size of his pack that caused a small frown to grace his otherwise confident and calm features. They were few in number and the recent additions to the pack had caused quite some unrest in their ranks. Where they had been minuscule when he had first joined the ranks of the pack, they were now bigger in numbers, the sirens outnumbering the consorts almost two to one. He knew that the amazonians were fierce and not to be underestimated but still, the pack remained small and that in itself was worrisome.
He banished the thoughts with a low gruff to himself, reminding him that strength lay not in numbers but in tactics and perseverance.
Every muscle was tensed and ready to follow orders and it was with an almost imploringly intense gaze, that Nakai watched his superiors, eager to launch into the fray and bring home the lost pup.
"Pardon my rudeness and my inappropriate forwardness, My Queen, Commander, but every second we wait, the further Larus will be taken from here. The sooner you issue a plan, the sooner the pup will be home and the perpetrators punished."[/size]

The dark-helmed female turned to Nakai as he offered his bold proposal. It was certainly not one without merit, yet she found his outspokenness somewhat distasteful as a male of the Sound. Her gaze glanced to Spyridon secretly, swiftly -- and when she returned her stare of Nakai she appeared somewhat ruffled. His anticipation and willingness to do anything in the face of the Sound's jeopardy was commendable, yet his self-discipline needed attending.

"We will go tomorrow." She spoke as if it had been her plan all along -- they could not feasibly depart now and leave the Sound unguarded. She would rally the troops, speak in private with Spyridon, and tomorrow they would launch the first of several expeditions to assess and scope out their enemy.