Phoenix Maplewood 'you were,' my dear, is the saddest sentence left to say

Based on an IC event after the meeting, plus with the assumption there's no hiccups in the meeting, I've gone ahead and started this thread just so we don't get too far behind and we can put it behind us. Since Wildfire had come along with the intention of talking to Saena, the first round or two will be between her and I and then I will tag everyone. She'll send them off by twos and ultimately regroup when they realize they are gone. It'll likely only be a few rounds. Can this be pinned? Also back dates to the... um. 17th, I think. 

Thuringwethil had gotten some sleep. Enough. When she comes to, it is still light out and she stretches, pushing herself to stand and leave the cave. Her heart remains heavy, just as it had yesterday, just as it had months ago, and she worries quietly to herself if this is the right thing to do. Looking around her surroundings, of her claim, of the wolves she's meant to protect, and she knows it is. They can't wait for the other band of wolves to the south to decide they've had enough and come to them, even if Esaro had been a mistake. Which she is sure is the case.

She makes the call, quiet and low, to only the ears of her wolves and those nearby, and gathers them—all of them.

Just as the day began to break, the sky turning a lighter shade of blue, did things set into motion.

With the slight change, Wildfire going with them, Thuringwethil led the group down the ridge of their mountain and across the narrowest part of the river she could find. They would not have time to find cover and rest upon their arrival, as the sweet smell of spring in the pack lands touch her nose, she glances to the group. Even with diplomacy in mind, she shows up with an army, and if she had been on the other side, she wouldn't take too kindly to the thought of them approaching en masse for slaughter.

Informing them, for now, to stay back, she beckons @Wildfire to the front of the group before approaching several yards ahead and making the call. Expecting the worst, she stares forward and waits, before sending her Dragons into battle.

Wildfire could scarcely think. Despite huddling in the the commander's cave all night, she hadn't caught much sleep. And now that they were up and at 'em, quite literally, the she-wolf felt very jittery. She fell back to mingle with the other wolves as they gathered around Thuringwethil and then began making the trek south. Her heart jumped into her throat and Wildfire struggled with nausea even as she inwardly coached herself to stay calm and keep it cool. It was crucial that she kept her wits about her this morning.

When they stopped outside the familiar forest, Wildfire wanted to creep to the back of the group. Of course, the Heda summoned her to the front. She swallowed, then weaved forward and stood at her leader's hip. She wondered if Thuringwethil could hear the fierce beating of her heart. If she did, she didn't mention it. They exchanged a very brief glance before the Alpha stepped forward several yards and unleashed her war cry.

Sangilak watched as Wildfire was beckoned to the front of the group. There is no envy in her heart, but a certain degree of contempt to see such a thing. A wolf new to the ranks being brought to the front lines... but then, perhaps it made sense. Perhaps it was for the fact that Wildfire was the most disposable of them. She did not know, but her irateness only ever seemed to grow. It was with the world she contended with now, not any one in particular. Any wrong move set her on edge. Her stormy eyes sought the frame of Dio, and then she looked to @Tatkret and next, @Hush. She knew these wolves best, though their interactions had not been too terribly frequent. 

Whatever her thoughts, Sangilak was ready and prepared to fight with Drageda. She was no stranger to war, and it looked upon her with not an ounce of nostalgia. Never had Sangilak been far from it. Sangilak was a dog of it, its influence upon her and her life great. Here she stood again, taking in a whiff of the wind and detecting unfamiliar scents. Thuringwethil howled, and Sangilak stood in the backdrop among the wolves that had come. 

Hush had followed his Heda diligently to the frontlines, though a pit of worry buried itself into his stomach no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. The young hybrid was no stranger to fighting, but he was a stranger to war. One-on-one fights, duels perhaps, was what he did best. Fighting multiple wolves at once to claim or defend land was an anomaly. Sure, his birth pack fought in such wars, but he was too young to fight and by the time he was old enough, peace had reigned for months. He wasn't sure if he was ready for such a rush.

But the hybrid kept such worries to the back of his mind (well he tried), following the front-line to Phoenix territory. He was ready to fight as best as he could, and looking around at the wolves that accompanied the Heda, he knew the others were too. He looked towards Sangilak, @Lorne, Dio, Gyda, and his leader, their grim faces enough to fill him with determination. Hush's eyes flickered to the fiery female he had hunting with not long before the fight, wondering what her role in all this would be, but Heda's call drowned out all thoughts as he prepared himself for action of any kind.

I hope I didn't forget anyone, lmfao. If I did, shoot me a PM, but I think I got everyone. There is likely only to be two more rounds since no one is here but feel free to use the first as a chance to explore and come empty handed. You have until April 30th to reply. Also, please note you weren't supposed to reply until tagged. Sorry for the confusion. (EDIT: Even if you've snuck in a reply before this one, you'll need to reply again before the deadline @Sangilak, @Hush)

Thuringwethil waits, and waits. She glances toward Wildfire, who seems uneasy, but she turns back to look through the forest. Nothing happens, nothing changes. The wind shifts but it brings no sign of life. There’s a worry that they moved toward the Dragon and her ears remain alert for Gavriel’s call. She doesn’t like that she left him alone but there were no one else she could put with him and compromise either side of their team. Their offense needed to be strong showing up on someone else’s turf, but if they’d taken them elsewhere, her defense isn’t nearly as strong.

With a sigh, she takes a few steps forward, and considers a second call. She doesn’t.

Glancing back, she sees the uneasiness of her crowd, but she brushes it off for a little bit longer.

“If you want to go back to Gavriel, you can, or stay here,” she says to the smaller wolf. She won’t be able to protect her as much as she’d like, if she continues onward, “or you’ll have to fight.”

There is little time for her to respond before Thuringwethil moves, turning to face the wolves and draw them closer. She needed to split them up enough that their wolf-power could balance out, and so she takes a few breaths as they close the distance. She leads them past the scent markers, but it isn’t long before she stops and works to separate them—if Wildfire chose to stay, she kept her close.

“@Dio, with me, @Gyda, @Lorne and @Tatkret to the west,” she points, splitting up the pair that came together—their strength and size would benefit apart. “@Sangilak and @Hush toward the east,” she explains, glancing toward her own group. Sending two off by themselves would be close enough that could potentially bring Gavriel, if they were in need and he were close enough, and the three to the west would be enough. A call should they find anyone would sprint them across the territory. “Do not go too far from calling distance,” she informs—staying close enough together would prevent an ambush on a few, infiltrating a territory not their own.

Sangilak's ear twitched and she followed the others lead. When they move past the borders, Sangilak thinks nothing of it at all; this was war. She simply wondered what Thuringwethil planned after; would she take over the Phoenix lands, to ensure they would not return? Her eyes trace the scenery around her with disinterest. Forests had never spoken to her as mountains had, but she saw their use. Hunting was good in these territories. Still, the land seemed quiet, too quiet. Sangilak was on full alert, but at ease; she excelled in warcraft. She moved close to Tatkret, though was watchful of Hush and the others that had come with them this day. 

Thuringwethil saw it fit to separate the two wolves who knew how to work in tandem to one another. She questioned the tactic as she glanced to Hush; she knew little of his tactics, and he likely knew less of her own. Still, Sangilak was content to assist him as she could. She gestured to her side and gave Tatkret a departing nip before she set off in the direction that Thuringwethil would have her and Hush go in. She grunted to the pale wolf, a lets move suggested in the sound. 

Moving in that direction, Sangilak was sure-footed and stalwart, heeding her surroundings with the utmost care. Her nose flared and her ears were veritable saucers atop her head, but the quiet remained. It was like the place had been left behind, and Sangilak wrinkled her lip at the thought at not getting what they had come for: a fight. She craved bloodshed, anticipated it; to be left wanting was not how she wanted this to end. Drageda had come and would receive their certain victory, one way or another. Sangilak listened and watched Hush, too, alert to the nuances of his movements that might betray he had noted something of worth. 

A deafening silence fell in the wake of the commander's declaration of war. Wildfire fidgeted, heart still racing. She glanced at the wolves gathered behind them, then to Thuringwethil, then back at the woods. She was just going to propose that she call out for Saena herself when the Heda began issuing instructions. If the wolves of the maple wood would not come to them, Drageda would go and find them. Wildfire swallowed.

When Thuringwethil spoke to her, the yearling immediately pressed closer, her choice clear. She blinked her amber eyes at the wolf who must be Dio, then steadied herself with a breath and finally let herself wonder, Are they even here? Wildfire still didn't know all the particulars, yet maybe Saena's wolves had known this was coming and left. It seemed ludicrous—Saena didn't seem the type to pack up and run—but as the larger group branched off and weaved into the woods, it quickly became clear that nobody was home.

Although that raised giant question marks in her brain—was Saena okay? And what about her newborn pups?—Wildfire felt a giant sense of relief wash over her. They wouldn't have to wage war. It was selfish and cowardly, perhaps, but she was glad it had worked out this way. She wouldn't have to fight her own sister, nor watch as her new pack quite likely slaughtered her nieces and nephews. That thought sent a shudder through her, from the nape of her neck to the very tip of her black tail.

"Thur," she said after a great while, "I don't think they're here."

Lorne stood with the group, having trekked with them to this Phoenix pack's doorstep in the wee hours of the morning. The air was heavy with expectation as Thuring let loose a bellow to the firebirds, letting them know she was there. 

They were met with only silence, Lorne glancing at @Dio who was near her. She knew him best in the group and had stuck by him through their travels. Once Thuring gave her instructions, she nodded and took off with her mouth open slightly to scent the wolves better. 

The scent of the Phoenixes was stale, their border wasn't as strong as it would be had they been patrolling. If her nose was correct, they hadn't been to their borders in at least a day, perhaps more. She looked to those searching with her. "Doesn't smell like anyone's home."

Their trek leading to their destination had been made with purpose and good time. Dio took the journey to relax and settle into the mindset of what may await so he could approach it at his best. He had no attachment to the wolves of the maplewood and he hoped to use such indifference to sharpen his teeth further -- should they rise against them and retaliate, that was.

But.. they are greeted with a stale border and silence. It isn't quite what he has anticipated. To his understanding, their claim was not a new one and with their alpha female predisposed with young, moving was surely a struggle. Frustration's first hints begins to well but his attention is cut to Thuringwethil before it unfurls itself fully. There is still the deepest heart of the woodlot to search, after all, but none of these scents in his nose now are making him too concerned of their presence.

Orders follow, and Dio nods then moves himself closer to his dark commander and the vivid female at her side. He maintains his silence so he may listen better as he skims the surroundings with all of his senses at the ready. Soon enough, they're combing the woods deeper and deeper by the stride.

Still, with a good share of ground covered already, nothing came up.

Dio nods after he catches the yearlings words. They're not here.

On their trek to Phoenix Maplewood Gyda kept her place beside Thuringwethil as her equal, feeling the thrum of anticipation at the potential battle within her veins. The valkyrie within her yearned for it; but upon their arrival at the fading borders Gyda was hit hard with an instantaneous sort of disappointment. The pack's scent was fading from these lands and that could only mean a few things: either they had disbanded or they had decided to relocate. Despite Thuringwethil's directive Gyda does not stay back, nor does she make room for the girl Heda calls to her side. For a moment, Gyda's frigid gaze rests upon the flame colored girl, wondering if she had such good connections in this pack if she was truly on the Dragon's side. Gyda knew nothing of her and assumed that her hesitancy to trust was because of those facts alone (and not that she scented the newest addition to their pack upon Thuringwethil more heavy than she did any of the others). No response came when Wildfire sent her call up.

Gyda's eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of life but none made itself present. The Viking Queen shifted her weight, lips curling back from her teeth as her ears slicked back to rest atop her skull, tail lashing once behind her in an empty threat for none appeared. At this, Gyda felt frustration. Her anticipation had been building for this moment and thus far it appeared as if she would be denied to unleash herself upon those that had threatened her wolves. Thuringwethil handed out orders and Gyda's glimpsed over her shoulder to let her eyes touch the two wolves with her. “Come,” She gestured them to her a sweep of her muzzle before she lead them to the West. There could have been a chance — albeit a slim one — that the Phoenix wolves were laying in wait, that this was an elaborate trap; though Gyda only considered this because it was something Ragnar would have done.

Trick his enemies to catch them separated as opposed to being in one large group.

Gyda heard Thuringwethil's demand that they not go further than calling distance and kept it in her mind as she led her small group deeper into the western reach of the maplewood's territory. Lorne was the first to break the silence that had settled over them, speaking what, likely, they had all been thinking out loud. That the Phoenix wolves were no longer here. “Their leader is either still pregnant or has very recently given birth. Last I heard she'd been pregnant,” It had been foolish of her to issue threats with babes on the way. “I doubt they would have endangered her children's safety by remaining.” Although taking young children away from their home a week or so after they were born, or moving when she was heavily pregnant and about to give birth was just as, if not more, risky. “Still, do not let your guard drop,” Gyda commanded of them. “Some might linger still.” She wanted them prepared, either way.

He follows, heart thrumming with anticipation of what was to come. Like his companion, Tatkret was no stranger to war. In fact, he craved it. All the better that he barely had connections to these wolves, neither the ones they were fighting nor the ones he was sided with. He only worried for Sangilak, and even then the worry was only minute as she was far from inexperienced with fighting and was quite the force to be reckoned with. If that could be said of the others of the pack, though, remained to be seen.

Tatkret gave all that had gathered a cursory glance as Thuringwethil sent up a call, only for it to be met with an uneasy silence. He waited, tail lashing at his hindquarters in excitement and frustration both. The band of dragons seemed torn between being relieved that none had answered the call and angered that they hadn't. Tatkret was in the latter group. He gave a grunt and stared into the woods with ears strained as far as they could go, trying to catch a single hint of their enemy.

The Alpha gave her orders and the man was quick to take off after the two wolves he was assigned to, but not without snorting in Sangilak's direction as she moved off with another in retaliation to her quick farewell.

He followed behind the two much smaller females as the grey one — the girl who led alongside Thuringwethil — took the lead. The sheer difference in size between himself and his group members was amusing, though he hoped they would be able to hold their own when the fighting began. If it began. As they travelled further to the west of the lands, he still could not pick up any fresh scents, and neither could the russet wolf, seemingly. He growled at her statement, angered that this pack had taken such a coward's way out. His disdain deepened as the other female spoke of the enemy's leader. With a lip lifted and the fur along his shoulders bristled, Tatkret swiftly swept past them, moving deeper into the forest with a focused stride, bloodlust growing with every step. They couldn't have just disappeared.

The silent wolf nodded dutifully, then looked to Sangilak, moving over to the female as the others split off. His inability to commicate verbally prevented him from giving proper orders or any inclination of his intentions, but he kept his head to the ground, his nose more likely to find a scent while his partner's eyes scanned the area. They moved together eastward, his nostrils flaring, but finding nothing. Often he paused to look around, but time and time again he caught his companion's eye and shrugged. Where had a whole pack gone in such little time? They must have known they were coming then, the cowards. Or were they? Was it cowardly to protect one's own? Hush didn't know, but he huffed, more with relief than the disappointment Sangilak felt. No one would be harmed today.

This will be the last round, likely to be archived in one week. Reply by May 8th. Given the timeframe between SD and PHX, they will likely stay they night somewhere outside of the territory and return after a few hours of rest/in the morning.

They begin their trek, Dio and Wildfire, and eventually she loses sight of the other groups. A simple call would test their location, and she’s sure she wouldn’t have to run terribly far in either direction to find one of her dragons. It takes time to cover the entire maplewood, to determine there’s no one hiding around the corner for an ambush, that life within these borders have ceased to exist. With a short, localized call to her own, she announces: The Phoenix wolves are gone.

There isn’t enough evidence for them to completely relax, but she feels safe to safe the wolves are gone from these lands. A cowardice move, and her blood pumping her veins—ready for bloodshed—goes unsatisfied. She shifts her weight a little before the pack reassembles and she shifts onto steady limbs and stoic expression. A mixture of relief and disappointment fills her, but she sets it aside to face the wolves victor.

“Forfeit is still a defeat,” she finally says once they’ve collected together. The return would be with heads still held high as if she’d shed their blood in war. They still return with victory on their shoulders.

Thuringwethil lifts her nose, rising a call to stir within each one of her dragons. With everything she has, she propels her voice that anyone would hear the Dragons’ win and that not a single Phoenix were left in the maplewood. With a smirk forming mid-call, she can’t help but imagine @Reek’s face should he hear her battlecry.

Their search concludes after some time with the groups converging once more and even among them all, they find nothing. This march will end without bloodshed but as their commander assures them, it is still a defeat for the Maplewood. Somewhere, they are surely wandering displaced, he imagines. They've chosen to flee from their home they once defended and knowing what bit he does about the other packs in the region of the Taiga, he doubts any of them will be giving them any nearby refuge. Most likely, they are far from here already and while it is disappointing to see no real action in this battle today, it is still a win for them and a very easy one at that.

He lifts his voice to sing their success alongside the rest of the Dragons, so all the Wilds may know.

Hush's ears tilted towards his Heda's call: they were gone. Hush huffed: of course they were. Whatever led them to lead must have had something to do with the two (now three?) hostile packs to the north, based on what politics he knew. The mute came to his Heda, glancing at the wolves around him. Where they, too, disappointed as Heda was, or relieved as he was? No matter their reactions, Hush's strange, bastardized howl formed a deep, twinged contrabass to the victory calls of the others, his own satisfaction completed.

Lorne didn't blame them for running. They had blood hungry Dragons on their tails and a newborn litter if she recalled correctly. It was wise to run and she conceded the correct answer to this equation, the ones the Phoenixes had chosen: to run.

Nonetheless, it was a defeat for the fire birds and a win for the reptiles. Throwing back her head with the pack members present, Lorne joined their howls with her own in a primal, victorious call.

As they continued to range through the forest, Wildfire's deduction proved absolutely true: there was nobody home. She said nothing else, simply keeping in step with her companions as they eventually circled back to regroup with the pack. She licked her lips as the commander addressed her subordinates. There was an edge of disappointment and dissatisfaction to her tone, yet she declared victory all the same. Wildfire bobbed her snout. She was celebrating for slightly different (and selfish) reasons than the others but the details didn't matter. Not a single drop of blood would be spilled today. This was the best possible outcome, in her books.

When Thuringwethil howled, Wildfire paused for a few beats, letting the others raise their voices before she followed suit. She could barely be heard, considering the age old damage to her throat. But she put all her earlier nervous energy into the song and, when it was over, she felt relief. Her amber eyes flicked to the Heda's face, wondering at the smug smile even as she unknowingly mirrored it. Her gaze then dropped respectfully to the ground, eyes closing as she gave silent thanks that everything had worked out this way in the end.