Blacktail Deer Plateau can you run

Here's that scouting opportunity. First three wolves to reply after @Pema get to go with. Be warned, though - we're not going to wait for you! We only need one wolf to go with her, so once we have that person, the thread will get underway pretty quickly, and will probably soon come to its conclusion.

Things had been good and slow for some time, now. Quiet. The ranks had swelled to bursting, though the leader was still certain the territory could support them, as long as they only took what they needed. He was explaining this to Pema as they walked the borders together late in the evening. The kids had been left to their own devices, though there was certainly someone nearby, should they need assistance. Of course, if one of them got hurt, the wolf they'd need was standing right beside him.

Dropping the topic of plans for the coming winter, the male broached a topic that'd been on his mind for some time, now. "How would you feel about going on a trip?" asked the male, looking curiously down at his companion. "Just around to the other packs on the valley floor. You can't learn all you need just through trial and error, and there might be someone in their ranks that would be willing to teach you."

Pema had been walking the border with Grayday, talking about the state of the pack. She enjoyed accompanying him on these walks. It was a time where the two could get some quality time to talk about about the business and casual parts of the pack. She felt good knowing that Grayday trusted her enough to be a part of these conversations and put in her own imput on some matters. 

But these walks weren't only about business and the pack, as shown by Grayday's question. "I might miss the kids abit, but I wouldn't mind it. It's good to see new things from time to time. Why do you ask?" she said before he continued.

An outing to help her build her medic skills. It was true that up until this point she had been trying to remember herb infromation and there had been a bit of trial and error. Come future situations this couldn't be an option seeing as how an error later on could be life threatening. Even though she wasn't a child anymore she did enjoy learning new things and didn't often pass up the chance. "That sounds like a good idea. she said with a smile. "Making some good connections with the other packs would be a good thing to do as well."

They reached the end of their patrol and began heading back through the woods to the rendezvous site. It'd become less of a pup playground and more of a central meeting place for the pack as a whole; even those on pup restriction were welcome at the rendezvous site, as long as there were others around as well. Grayday and Pema were greeted by a few of their packmates as they arrived, and the leader called out in a loud voice, "Anyone wanna go scoutin' sometime soon?"

He turned his attention back to Pema. "We'll miss you, too - but I want to give you every chance to learn these things. We may need it one day."

Sleep came quickly and easily for her since returning from her journey, and she was stretched out on the cool earth when her father marched into the rendezvous with Pema at his side. A lobe twitched and a single eye blinked open, watching the pair approach, and when her father spoke she was already sliding to her paws. She eyed Pema and her father, for a moment wondering if something might be happening between the two. She dearly hoped not, for she had become rather concerned for her father after Amber, Adeline and Khoe, and Pema was something akin to a friend; it would simply be too odd. 

She blinked the sleep from her eyes and approached the pair readily, an excited glint in her gaze. "obviously"  she replied with a grin teasing at her muzzle. She glanced at Pema when her father continued, wondering just where she would be heading with the woman who was very obviously leaving as well.

aditya had planned to go out on his own to explore the wilds, making for himself a mental map of his surroundings. but at grayday's call, he stirred--for at last, an opportunity came to make himself useful. stretching a little, he trotted toward his alpha's voice, ears pricked with curiosity.

pema and dawn were with the gray male already, and he was heartened to see them. giving them both a smile in greeting, he looked at grayday and replied, "i would be honored to join the mission."

for so long, adi had taken and taken and not given back. this was his chance to start giving back to something greater than himself. and it took into account his natural wanderlust, which was always a good thing.

Before long Grayday and Pema were greeted by Dawn and Adi, both willing to accompany Pema on this mission to find someone to tutor her. They would make a fine group. Dawn was already and experienced scout, who most likely knew were all the other packs in the valley were. It would make it alot faster then it would have been if they had needed to search for the other packs. Her experience as an ambassador would also be useful. Pema looked forward to learning about those things as well, as the pack progressed and liked the idea that she could learn these things from a close friend. 

She didn't know Adi terribly well but from what she had seen of him, he seemed like a nice guy. It also seemed like Dawn and him were getting along together well and anyone that was friends with Dawn had to be a good person. 

Since the two joiners hadn't heard the plan to visit the other packs, only that they would be scouting, Pema though to bring them up to speed and see if they would still be willing to go. "Thanks you guy for wanting to come with." she smiled to both of them and glanced at Grayday before continuing. "We're going to be visiting the other packs in the valley to see if there's anyone about to teach me a bit more about healing."

Dawn and Aditya were the first to arrive. Grayday was pleased with this group, although he was a little worried about his daughter going out and possibly never coming back - he always worried about that, though, and quite probably didn't remember what it was like not to have that fear in the back of his mind.

He'd survive.

"That's about the size of it," he agreed when Pema gave them a quick run-down of the mission. "The three of you should do it. Should be enough to hunt and stay warm. I'll want you all back before winter, mind, so don't take too much time. Other than that, though, there's no rush."

He looked between the three of them. "How soon can you leave?" His attention turned to Dawn and Aditya. "Are the two of you well enough to be out?"

Her gaze glinted when Pema introduced their mission, it would offer her the opportunity to survey the south and west as she'd hoped to do for a while now. Her father continued, claiming that they'd have before the first snows, and that they'd be enough to hunt and stay warm. To his question, she replied after a moment of thought. "I'd be up to leave in a day, maybe two." She would appreciate a day to rest and stock the caches, but her gaze moved to Aditya and Pema, asking silently their own opinions. Gradually, the girl was gaining tact, and this kept her from saying that she'd be ready to leave this very moment.

so it was a mission for pema. that sounded agreeable enough, and it would certainly supplement any trip he was planning to take around the teekon wilds. nodding along at her words, he turned to grayday, who asked about his health.

"i'm feeling absolutely fine," adi told his alpha, stretching a little in example. "and i'm up to leave whenever you ladies are ready," he added to dawn and pema, with a smile.

a scouting trip! aditya felt a rush of excitement come over him, involuntarily wagging his banner of a tail. finally, he could prove his usefulness to his new family. it would be a hard winter, and adi needed to know the lands if he was to serve as a scout for morningside.

With everyone understanding the mission and willing to go, it was only a matter of if they would be able and when you they be leaving. Adi and Dawn had sustained more injuries prior that they had both healed rather well from. They had both been able to hunt and do other things, but walking and traveling from long distances could often prove harder then hunting for a short time. But luckily it seemed both of them though they were up for the journey and would be ready to go within a couple days.

Pema though about it as well. She nodded along with what the other two were saying. A few days would give her some time to tell the others in the pack that she would be gone for an extended period of time, fill the cache a bit since she wouldn't be able to when she was gone. She could also add a bit of padding into her den. She would be gone, but is was likely that during the colder nights the pups might want to sleep in the den.

"That sound like a good amount of time. Two days then." she said planning for the three of them to meet and head off by then.

Any one of you can now start the leaving thread. Please tag me in it. Grayday will only post once to say goodbye.

It seemed that they had their team, and that the team was already making plans to go. Grayday's heart thumped unevenly at the thought of their departure, but he knew that this was an important trip - one that might save them all in the future.

"Just let me know when you leave, so I can see you off," he said softly, his eyes lingering on each of them. "You'll want to visit every pack in the valley. The last I knew, there was one in a fen to the far south, one atop a plateau just northeast of it, and one that claimed a mountain in the range across from us. Some may have moved or disbanded, and there might be new ones or ones I haven't seen.

"Whatever you do, be respectful. If they don't want to talk, leave them be. If they want to make a deal, I'm open to it - Dawn, I will trust you to decide whether or not a deal is reasonable. If you're not sure, you can tell them you want to consult me. Any questions?"

He stopped and waited patiently, knowing he was not the best at giving instruction. It usually took a lot of back-and-forth to make himself completely clear, even if he could not think of anything else to add at the time.

She committed the information to memory, silent save a nod of her head. At the responsibility that her father offered her, she said only, "I will." She wondered briefly if the valley held anything dangerous, but surely her father ought to have told them if something posed a threat to them. Her gaze fell next to her would-be companions, excitement building in her already. When all seemed alright with them, they went their sperate ways, sure to reunite soon to begin their journey.