Wolf RPG

After Dante's talk with Mordecai, he felt it doubly important that he approach the others and find their thoughts.  They could not afford to lose anyone else and he worried that, despite not speaking at the meeting, they were discontented with the situation.  At the time he had been too angry and tired to fear such a thing, but time had granted temperance.  He was still tired, yes, but much of his anger had burned.

So he sought out @Siren and @Malachi, the two he had yet to find and ask outside the beta family.  He worried less about them, knowing they would find him if they had a problem.  But Siren and even Malachi Dante did not know well, both having joined just before and amidst the chaos.  He wanted to rectify this.  His search started near the edge of the plateau, where he would walk the lip before taking to the trees.

The flatlands stretched before him in undisturbed silence, oblivious to the carnage found in its neighbouring lands. Malachi had only seen the twister from afar, as the clouds had gathered in a funnel that wretched from the sky to tear up the ground. But though the twister had evaded them, the Plateau had not been completely spared. Strong winds and torrential rains had accompanied the beast, and had buffeted their home with relentless force. The skies had long quieted, the rains held back, but Malachi didn't count the Plateau free of danger just yet.

More than a few faces of rock lined the Plateau's northern border of sheer mountain stone. The walls were a protection, but Malachi knew how quickly they could become the pack's undoing. Any patch of unsteady rock could signal disaster if a downpour came again, and even one dislodged stone could cascade into a landslide if pushed by a steady stream of rain or a misplaced step. In the past days he had pinned numerous spots to keep an eye on, places he deemed a potential source of hazard. So far he had kept these things to himself, but the need to let Dante know prompted him away from the mountains and set him on a steady course along the border of the Plateau. With the increase of patrols in recent days, he was confident he would at least meet someone who could direct him to the Alpha's whereabouts.

He wandered quite a while before he actually ran into Malachi, despite his active search. Their territory was large and sometimes hard to find others in, the trees and lack of vantage point lending to getting lost amongst the forest. Luckily, on his second trek through the trees closer to the mountain walls, he caught sight of Malachi's characteristic markings.

"Malachi!" He jogged up, then fell in step. "Hey! I was wondering if we could talk a minute?" He did not wish to inconvenience, but he felt this was important enough for the request. After losing two of their number so soon after the meeting, he did not desire to add more to the number. While he could not recall anything he had said that was unreasonable, others might not see it that way, and it was his job to ensure they understood exactly where they, as a pack, stood in all this.

He snapped to attention at the sound of his name and flicked a searching gaze across the landscape. Dante's voice was easy to distinguish over the quiet of the day, and Malachi spotted the greyscale as he cut along the border toward him.

"Of course," Malachi covered the steps that remained between them and ducked his head in respect to the sterling man as their strides fell in rhythm. "Actually, I was hoping to find you." A soft smile ghosted his lips, but concealed a shadow of uncertainty that moved through his thoughts. The matter of the mountainside weighed heavy on his mind, but that Dante had been looking for him sparked a worry just as pressing. "Is something wrong?"

What he had to say he did feel important, but because he only wished for feedback, he shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. Go for it, mine can wait." He was curious to see what Malachi could have to tell him, as they hadn't spoken often before this. In fact, he knew very little of the male aside from what he had gleaned while recruiting him. Another thing to rectify in the days to come.

His full attention was devoted to what the newly risen Gamma could have to say, though he kept his own query in the back of his mind so as to not forget it. The fact that their pack felt held together by mere threads spooked him more than he would admit to any who might share thoughts with him.

He would have liked for Dante to speak first and ease the burden of uncertainty from his shoulders, but Malachi wasn't keen to disobey his Alpha's prompt. That Dante didn't sound in a hurry offered him some reprieve, and Malachi turned his thoughts to the mountainside again, though concern still lingered with whatever lay on Dante's mind.

"I've been keeping an eye on the mountains ever since the storms hit. As far as stability goes, most of the slopes look secure, but there are a number of portions I'm concerned about. Largely for landslides." Before the storms he'd watched the crags for any signs of shifting rock, but the wind and rain had done nothing to stabilize the area and his worry grew by the day. So far the Plateau was in the clear, but a careless mistake could easily smother them all in a crushing sheet of dirt and debris. "The land's unstable as it is, and any added weight could be the tipping point. I'd advise warning the pack to stay off these areas, and to keep alert when walking near the base."

Dante listened carefully, the matter definitely serious. It wasn't danger he would have seen and he wondered if perhaps Malachi was of a naturalist's mind. Ever since Saena had left they had been in need of one. It was an important role they lacked and one that would provide invaluable insight, especially in the wake of so many natural disasters.

"Could you show me? I believe you, of course. But I would like to know what to look for." He made sure to clarify, not wanting to offend. "We will definitely have to inform the others, and stay away from the areas beneath for a time." The last thing they needed was to lose anyone to a landslide.

On the way, perhaps they could speak of what the alpha wished to know.

Tension fled from Malachi's shoulders at Dante's reception and his anxious thoughts relaxed. They were not in the clear yet, but with Dante in the know, they were well on their way to preventing any damage from happening on their watch. "Yeah, of course." It was only natural that the Alpha should assess the risks himself, and Malachi had counted on Dante's concern to move the predicament toward a favourable end.

Malachi turned himself around and gestured to the swath of charred trees hugging the mountain not far from their vantage. "One of the areas is just through here," and he set into a brisk walk, certain Dante would follow. With his news given and measures underway, Malachi felt the familiar coil of dread twist his stomach again. "So what did you want to talk about?" His voice squeezed through a tight throat, and his attempt at nonchalance fell flat. The storms had kept his mind from straying to thoughts of their recent meeting and the neighbours in the South, but he couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering that direction now.

He followed willingly, noting the direction and guestimating where, as a result, they would end up. Malachi picked up his intentions as well and provided the transition to his own topic. He was silent for a moment as he thought on how to approach it.

"It was brought to my attention that I might've explained better at our gathering. And I wanted to see if you wanted any extra information, or had any questions. One on one." He looked sideways at Malachi. "I'll try to answer as well as I can." He hoped that his packmate was comfortable enough with him to ask or bring up whatever might be bothering him, if anything was. He hadn't been there long but Dante saw in him a potential friend, maybe even one who would stick around. Something he felt he was running short on of late.

"Oh." Malachi couldn't suppress the tremor of fear that quickened his heart. His alpha gave him no reason to be afraid, but the subject did: the talk of tensions and enemies and war. His stumbling block at Duskfire, and the same for him now. Malachi struggled to find his voice, and when he did, it squeezed from his throat, tight and constrained.

"I - " his throat stuck and he coughed. The effort changed little. " - I do have some things to say." Yet all that he'd processed after the gathering was so out of reach, thoughts empty save for the recollection of Duskfire, of Larus. Stolen - and his chest seized.

Malachi trained his attention on the nearing line of trees. Stolen, and he'd trusted Caiaphas to return him. Thought better than to tell Tuwawi her son lived in hopes of bringing the conflict to an end by his own terms. Bumbled about peace when the severed head stained their land with a declaration of war, given by the wraith herself. Over and over he had reassured himself that he'd loved the wolves of Duskfire like kin, like family, and it pained him to see how much he had deceived himself. His every act of "goodwill" had ruined every life he'd sworn to protect. His father's teachings had done nothing to prepare him for this, but he couldn't use that as an excuse anymore.

"I don't know where to start." Malachi's voice was quiet, and he chanced a glance at Dante. He knew so little of the man, but there was something comfortable in his presence. Familiar. Malachi took the beat of silence to gather his thoughts, and when he turned from Dante to refocus his gaze on the trees, his guilt pulsed weaker. "I don't understand a lot of things. What made the south hostile toward us to begin with?" His father had always stressed the importance of history, and Malachi knew the Vale's off by heart. But that knowledge did him little good here. He needed to know the Plateau's, and that was where he would start.

It seemed Malachi had some questions, if hesitant ones.  Dante tried to appear encouraging, nodding and keeping his gaze attentive.  He was not disappointed by this need for answers - quite the opposite really.  It was good to know where they stood.

He kept quiet, patient as his packmate sorted out where he wanted to start.  Finally he managed it, asking for an introduction to the problem.  The background was one he'd been made to speak of often these past few days, but he did not mind going over it once more.  It was asked so tentatively that he cast an encouraging look before beginning.

"Peregrine and Fox, who now lead the Caldera, were once rules of this Plateau. When they left, their hasty departure stirred up hard feelings, and those feelings redoubled on both sides over time." Dante frowned. "Much of that is in the past now, but recently, one of our previous packmates was killed on Caldera lands. Peregrine's own daughter. She was troubled, and her actions seem to have brought the death upon herself, but it still is not an easy thing to accept. We were at one time family, and Lasher, Blue, and I still saw her as such." His ears tipped back. "We don't want trouble, and I don't think the Caldera does either. Yet there is the slightest possibility that they will assume we wish revenge and strike first. I wished to make you all aware of that."

He looked for confusion or doubt in the other's expression as he finished, wondering if he had answered what Malachi wished or if more explanation was needed. "It is highly possible, and I would almost say probable, that nothing will happen. But I'm a wolf who thinks caution and clarity are best." He would not hide such a thing on the hope it would blow over as nothing. Thinking back to his encounters with Wildfire, and her lack of aggression towards her northern associates, that hope was growing more and more with each day passing. One less worry that preyed upon his mind, and a welcome relief, for he had plenty of shadows to deal with besides.

Dante's words flowed through Malachi's right ear and did not exit the other. Rather they cranked through his mind like clockwork. His eyes remained fixed on the horizon, and he did not search Dante's face for clues on how to think or feel. He let the history speak for itself, and what he found there made his heart ache.

He didn't know any of these wolves, but the pain he felt for each made his head hurt. Whatever had transpired to break father and daughter apart he could not fathom. A couple wrong decisions? A few careless choices? He knew nothing of Peregrine's daughter, but for her he felt a different sort of sorrow, one that made little sense to him. If she had brought her death upon herself, like Dante had said, why did he feel so much for her?

His only share in this conflict was his standing as a Plateau wolf - a union with this pack's family and history, though he'd experienced none of it himself. His brows knit, but with concentration rather than confusion. Dante's reassurance calmed the worry in him, but he could not lie. Doubt still nibbled at his mind. He'd thought so little of the sea-wolves - but Malachi stopped the thought before it could run its course again. This was different.

Malachi cleared his throat when he realized he'd let none of his thoughts rise for Dante's ears to hear. "I think you're better to take caution, and I'll take it too." He glanced at Dante, and finality slipped through his words. "I'll keep far from the south, if it means keeping both families safe. You have my word."

He paused in a beat of hesitance, and for a moment glanced to the sky. "But... I did wander down there once, right before the fire. I met two wolves with ruddy fur - a mother and a daughter, I think." They hadn't given names or made note of any shared relation, but from their interaction, he was convinced they were at least kin. The way they looked at him again surfaced to his mind - he couldn't shake the memory of their apprehension, their wariness. "Would you... know them?" From the Caldera? The implication ran heavy through his words, and he turned a searching gaze to his leader.

Malachi looked thoughtful, and surprised, but showed no sign of bolting out the door. Such a thing would have been strange, yet he had half expected it after the way the conversation with Mordecai had gone.

"Thank you," he replied when the other agreed to stay clear, grateful and making no attempt to hide that. Malachi's understanding was important and Dante considered it almost a gift. One that he accepted gladly.

He turned thoughtful when Malachi mentioned his meeting, racking his memory for any sign. "Perhaps. Doubtless there are others of that coloring, but it may have been Fox and her daughter." Wildfire. "How did it go, when you did?" Was it a simple occurrence, or did Malachi have a troubling revelation behind it? If he'd been attacked... Yet Dante assumed he would have been told had that been the case.

Dante confirmed the duo may have been Fox and her daughter, and that was enough for Malachi. Their behaviour clicked, their reserve upon approaching him and their sudden leave. They'd dismissed themselves right after he'd mentioned his allegiance to the Plateau, and the fact which had been trivial before became more than coincidence now.

Malachi caught the gravity behind Dante's question, and he shook his head to reassure his leader that nothing more than conversation had transpired. "They were wary and on guard, but other than that," he shrugged, and deflected his gaze to the mountainside scarred with charcoaled trees, "I wouldn't have guessed they were at odds with us at all."

The whole matter still ruffled him, but Dante had given him a plethora of information to weigh, and for the time Malachi tucked his thoughts away. They'd carried themselves through the crumbling woods to the mountain at its rear, and Malachi shifted his attention to the tangible problem they faced. He tracked his gaze along the tree line that snaked up its face and hoped Dante would do the same. "This is the main area I'm concerned about," he inclined his head to peer further up and squinted against the glare of the sky. "Trees hold the mountainside and make it steady, but the fire damaged a lot of the forest here. That's not good news for us. Any heavy rains or falling trees and we could easily have a wash out." He frowned. If only there was more they could do. For now, they could only avoid this place and hope if the mountainside ever cascaded, none would be trapped in its slide.

Good. This did some to confirm Dante's suspicion that they were happy to leave well enough alone. It was highly unlikely they would come to their borders then seeking trouble, and that they would show open aggression in even neutral lands. Still, he did not know if they would assume the same of the plateau wolves, and therefore remained of the opinion it was best to stay out of their region for the most part.

He focused in on the mountainside as Malachi explained, inspecting some of the higher outcroppings. It made sense when explained but definitely wasn't something the alpha would have found for himself. "Can we fortify it at all?" He asked, though he knew the likely answer was no. The trees were the natural defense and they were gone. "We can move the markings away at least. It should serve a reminder to give this place a wider berth." He would do so later that day.

He'd exhausted his mind trying to think of ways to secure the mountainside to no avail, but he'd refused to give up. He'd held the hope that Dante would know better, an expectation that petered out when the Alpha offered a question in place of a solution. He tried not to let his disappointment show. "As far as I know, avoiding this area is the only way to go." They might not be able to grow the forest again, but at least they could take precaution here. "We can start now. I can help." It wasn't too much to ask. Surely Dante had the time for something as important as this, and the sooner they moved the border, the safer they all would be.

He shrugged, acquiescing easily.  It made little difference to him, as he doubted they would face a slide today, but he had nothing else of greater importance to do.  A hunt had been on his mind but could wait until they had finished.  "Sounds good."

He allowed Malachi to step off first, deferring to his more knowledgable eye on how far the border should be set back.  Between the two of them it would likely not be a long task.