Sequoia Coast on the boulevard of broken dreams

near north of the coast, near Ankyra, but not in it yet. For @Caiaphas ! :)

Beady black button eyes stared out from a dark angular crow face. Jack glided softly over the coast. He'd thought about the wolf's deal and decided he needed something to occupy him in his time in the Wilds, if he was not yet in a flock. She had only mentioned the coast in general, so he was unsure if he was too far away. But hopefully he'd find her. He swooped down, landing softly on a rocky crag that rose from the sand and perching there. There was not much of a crow equivalent for howling, so instead he let out a series of loud kaws. To a wolf it would just sound like bird noises, but to other birds it clearly stated a message: Please keep away. This is private business. After a final few noises exited his black beak he shut it and his dark eyes scanned the land, hoping she would be near enough to hear him and come this way.

birdle!! thank you for starting

caiaphas paused when she heard a series of caws. she pressed her ears to the whipping cold, listening as the grating noise pounded into the sheared air. at first she thought it was bartok, but the baritone was different.. and bartok usually bellowed repetitive obscenities into the airs precluding his trademark garrulous yawp.

she was interested.. very much so.. and with a flick of her tail she was off down the beach with her little ears alert and muzzle turning this way and that way to find the noisemaker. it was not long before she spotted jack -- at first she thought it was another crow lost from ravensblood -- she would have passed him by were it not for the faintly colliding memory that she was certain she had met this bird before.

to her, most of them looked the same anyway -- she supposed the same could be said for wolves when viewed through a bird's black gaze. pulling up to him slowly, she tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her muzzle as she studied the bird's iridescent form.

np! ty for joining.

Jack's head turned in one sharp swift motion towards faint pawsteps. There was the wolf who'd offered him the deal, he could tell by her coyote-like form and strange head color compared to her body. A faint smile touched her face and she tilted her head. He supposed she probably recognized him if she'd stopped and looked at him. Jack was glad to see she'd arrived. "Are you still in need of an informant?" He rumbled in his deep voice with a tilt of his head. If not he would be on his not-particularly-merry way, off back towards Blackfeather. But if she could still use him, he would follow whatever orders she gave.

the reason for jack's visit was quickly unveiled -- and the knowledge caused an impish smile to beride the sea-hag's wicked muzzle. how delightful, she thought -- day by day ankyra grew stronger. she mused for the reason of jack's arrival but decided it didn't matter. he didn't look starving. perhaps the offer of food had been enticing enough to lure his sensibilities to her fold.

"wonderful." she practically purred, her tone somewhat malevolent. "we always need an informant." the follow-up was stripped of any lie -- never had caiaphas spoken a truer utterance. "we can feed you for your time, of course."

He nodded when she said he would be fed for his work. "I do not require much pay." He told her. Jack often hunted his own and did fine supporting himself, and it was true that he would not require much of their work to pay him. He would work somply for the occupation, and would not deny the pay that came with it. "What exactly are the orders?" He asked Caiaphas in a very business-like tone. He was ready to fufill whatever she wished as long as he was occupied and was paid his share.

jack's response almost elicited a snigger from caiaphas. he didn't look exactly like the type who could put her pack out of business in the food department. the saying, what was it, eats like a bird came to mind. she stifled the giggle though, careful not to look too unprofessional next to her newest acquired ally.

"you can eat as much as you want." she extended graciously. she wasn't actually being kind -- it was just that she imagined even if the bird stuffed himself from tailfeather to hooked gullet he wouldn't even have made a dent in their cache. "we're at war with a neighboring pack.. they stole a puppy of mine. i'd like a set of eyes on them at all times. we are mobilizing now in defense."

Jack didn't notice her trying to hold back a snicker. If so he would not of reacted much, perhaps a roll of his eyes, but that was all. When Caiaphas said to eat as much as he liked, he nodded swiftly, a thin smile touched his beak. Not that he'd eat much anyway. He could probably find the caches if he knew where the territory was. When she explained the orders, he nodded. He would not question orders, only things he needed to know. "Thank you, Miss. Where is your enemy located, do you know? And where is your pack, so I may relay my information and take my pay?" He asked catiously, unsure if she trusted him yet and would be willing to tell, or if she didn't yet completely trust him. Either way, he needed the information. She'd just have to trust Jack.

caiaphas paused, wondering how infantile her thought process had to be to place faith in a bird.. much less a stranger bird. well fuck it -- wars had been lost by less. she shrugged her shoulders and threw her worry to the rippling wind.

"the pack is directly east of us, a little south. it's called duskfire glacier.. well.. you'd know it if you saw it." she remembered she had told meldresi the same. it was a pretty unmistakable pack. "as for our pack, we're in the coves behind the cliffs." caiaphas afforded a smile, though it was without any reassuring warmth. "speak only with me, and avoid any ravens." she did not elaborate why -- the thought alone of bartok meeting jack was enough to cause her to fall silent.

lol bartok and jack are very different. Wrap up soon?

He nodded, sucking up the knowledge like a vacuum on a dirty floor. East, little south. Enemy. Glacier. / Behind Cliffs. Ally. When she said to avoid ravens, he wondered why, but didn't question it. Besides, "I usually avoid ravens anyway." He informed her. His purpose here was coming to an end and he had gotten accepted as the informant and had been given the information he needed. "My name is Jack." He told her. He didn't necessarily think she would reply, though it was welcome- but he was fine with continuing to call her Miss.

haha they are! i was just thinking how OFFENDED jack would be if bartok tormented him hahaha.. he's too gentlemanly for bartok's nonsense! last post from me! btw.. can i make a new thread tomorrow for autumn and phas?

caiaphas was pleased with the male's decorum, and how properly he seemed to carry himself. she wondered what the world would have been like for him had be been born a wolf rather than crow -- but the world was what it was and was only ever going to be what it would be. she supposed she had no reason to question the world's make now of all times.

he extended her name and she paused. she couldn't remember if they had exchanged names last time, they probably hadn't. and if they had she had probably given him a fake name. she smiled and offered "caiaphas. the cache is by the grotto. see you eat your fill before you go." with that final instruction the siren queen turned back to her keep to tend to the wolves within her domicile.

i'd actually wanna thread w/ bartok sometime just to see how it would play out. Also, yes pls! I love every Autumn 'n' Phas thread. She's around Rising Sun Valley right now.

"Thank you, Caiaphas." He rumbled deeply and finally. As she left he lifted off into the air and sailed overhead of her, gliding over the grotto. He swooped gently to a landing. After a bit of digging he got came upon the contents. Some of the prey was bigger than himself. Or other birds, which was interesting he was working with an ally that would kill his brothers and sisters for food. Not that Jack hadn't done the same thing. He'd killed the two most boring siblings and eaten their remains alongside Erik. Digging around, he pulled out an average sized mouse. He began to eat while going over his spying plan in his head. Later he would throw the remains of the mouse unwanted such as tail and feet aside, rebury the cache, and take flight in the general direction of the Glacier.