Hushed Willows Shall we play, Doctor?

There was a thought brewing in his head, one that to some, might have spelled out betrayal - maybe a touch of treason, who knew? It wasn't treason, it was for the greater good, and Stark had to stick to that. It was the only way they'd all make it out. He drew himself back from the Crook, heading down to Banner's favorite tree. If she wasn't already there, he figured she'd be close by, but just as a precaution he lifted his head to the skies and called out for her anyways. 

He knew if anyone would understand it would be @Banner - and he needed all the understanding. He needed her opinions, and given that she'd done a great deal of scouting about he'd need any information she had as well.

Ears flicking, Banner paused and looked back in the direction she'd just come from.  Stark.  It wasn't like him to call out for her - was there some kind of emergency?  But, no, his call wasn't exactly urgent.  She frowned and turned back, short legs carrying her quickly back to her favorite tree.  Despite all the traveling she'd done recently, she hadn't added much to her stash.  Too many conversations, too little collecting.

"You rang?" she asked in her low voice upon approach.  There was a serious air about him and it made her uneasy.  Stark wasn't an exceptionally serious wolf.

His first move was to sweep her into a gentle embrace, offering a small smile to the woman. "Hm, I did," He agreed rather cryptically, glancing around and checking to make sure that no one was around. "I think Harlyn's gonna take some time off from leading - let her properly rest, take care of things." He was worried too, because he didn't know what to do with the entire situation. Things weren't any easier and he expected the rest of the pack was just as fed up as he was. 

"Something's gotta change, Banner. This is driving me crazy - I bet it's bugging everyone else too." He huffed, seeming like a put out child for a moment. 

The look around before opened his mouth spoke volumes on the tone of this conversation.  Banner leaned into her brother's embrace, allowing a soft, affectionate growl out before she withdrew to look at him while he spoke.  Harlyn was taking time.. off?  Her head tilted, bright green eyes narrowing critically.  What did that even mean?

"Why do you think I've been wandering away so often?" she asked with a frown.  She knew he'd noticed, but there wasn't anything to be done for it.  Stark had his leadership responsibilities to take care of - there were no such strings on her.  "What's going on?" she demanded quietly.

Stark gave an exasperated sigh when Banner demanded to know what was going on - at the truth of it all he still couldn't tell, and he felt near overwhelmed with the whole situation. He'd only been a leader what, a month? Maybe less? And he had no idea what he was doing but it seemed like the pack was falling apart and he felt like he was the only one trying to fix it. "You and me both," He grumbled lowly. He'd taken his time outside of the packlands, too, but he hadn't strayed too far. 

He was worried Octavia would need him, worried that something would happen with Harlyn, he was worried the kids would get into it again. "I've just....I don't know. I feel like I should do something but really - I'm not even involved in this. It's between them. I haven't seen any of the Ostregas since this happened, 'cept Harlyn briefly, and I haven't seen Octavia since before we talked." Stark frowned, blue eyes rolling. "Y'know it's bad when I call folks out for being childish."

One raised brow met his exasperated sigh - Stark did have a flair for the dramatic.  Though this whole situation had officially gone beyond dramatic.  Left unresolved, it had exploded far out of proportion and it seemed like he was the only leader trying to do something about it.  On one hand, Banner would have been hesitant to work with an Alpha who had attacked her or her family, but on the other hand.. they were all adults.

"Mordecai - I saw him the other day," she said suddenly, remembering a very important fact.  "He said.. Tambourine was trying to help Harlyn and then Octavia.. well, you know."  Saying the word "attacked" out loud made her feel uncomfortable, so she left it out.  "He said there was something off about her."  Just as Stark had admitted to her.

Sure. It would have been awkward, but the whole concept of being the Alpha was to be the head of the pack. If the heads started biting each other - well, that sucked, but, y'gotta get it all to stop somehow. Stark shook his head, coat having puffed a bit as Banner explained she'd talked to Mordecai. "Did he say how they were doing?" He asked. His concern was over the well being of his pack, and he didn't feel like they were doing too well all things considered. 

"If...if Harlyn wants to focus on healing, on her family, I get it. And if she does take a break, Octavia would be the only Alpha." Which, if she was acting so abnormal made him uncomfortable and put them in a bad position if something happened. "I could step up. Not...take over. But. Take over."

"Not.. directly.." she said with a frown.  Mordecai hadn't come out and plainly told her that his family wasn't happy in the Keep, but his tone of voice gave her that impression.  And how could the Ostregas feel welcome and happy in a home that attacked them?  "His son is missing.  Pippin," she murmured sadly, guilt obviously shining in her eyes. None of them even knew! 

Some family this pack turned out to be. 

Banner blinked a few times when her brother spoke of stepping up.  "Okay," she began carefully, that critical look back in her eye. ".. as an Alpha?"  Her question was measured in tone as she waited for Stark to reply.

The moment the kid you're watching closes your browser so you lose your post xx

 

Stark frowned immediately when Banner said that Pippin was lost. The fact that they entire pack didn't know - that was as upsetting to him as anything else. His lip lifted in anger, though it wasn't because of Banner - and he expected her to know that. "We have to get the pack searching." He said quietly. "Why haven't we all heard it?" He asked, his voice a little gruff.

If anything, that cemented the idea that he needed to change things. "Yes....someone has to do something. And if I'm Alpha - well. We can maybe fix things." He had to hope for it. 

That was the million dollar question.  Why had they all been so preoccupied with drama or tension or wandering that the disappearance of a child failed to register on anyone's radar?  It sickened her the longer she thought about it.   Marauder's Keep had a lot of issues, clearly.  Banner thought to make some smart remark about their Alpha females hiding away, but she kept it to herself.  Harlyn was Pippin's injured mother - she probably already felt terrible enough for not being physically able to search for him.

Clearing her throat, the short female nodded at her brother's statement. "You can fix things," she clarified. "You're the only one in the perfect position to tackle the challenge.  I only worry about Octavia's reaction.."  She trailed off, wondering how a wolf not in her right mind would take the news of Stark taking the reins.

It wasn't what he had expected, coming into the pack. He had hoped for something special, a sense of family and a place that he could grow into his own rights. What had been happening though was that Stark was finding more issues every time he turned around - and it all seemed to come out of the woodwork. "If it was anyone else there would be more of a struggle, I think. But maybe...it would be a way to get her to ease up some. Not be so reclusive. Not keep Tambourine away, too." He said quietly. "It's me. And for the most part, I think she trusts me. And I can keep a better tab on things that way." 

It was going to be stressful, and it would be a lot more trouble and his days of leaving the pack and exploring would severely be limited. He had to do something though, and this seemed like the most logical choice. Letting Octavia run things on her own just promised a disaster. "It might keep her from wanting to run off, too. Like how she was talking about taking off with Tambourine - having us go too. We can try and do what's best for everyone that way."

She followed along with his train of thought, nodding where appropriate but otherwise she simply allowed him to speak.  Stark's quiet words suggested a rehabilitation period of sorts for Octavia and that it itself was a big undertaking.  The stability and happiness of the Alpha and her son was one thing, but tossing the responsibility of the pack on top of the pile seemed a bit much.  Banner watched her brother with a concerned frown on her face.  Using himself as the glue to keep everything together left him in a percarious position.  Not that she thought he couldn't handle it, but was such a thing really fair to him?

"That's a lot, Stark," she began as gently as she could.  Banner sighed quietly and closed the gap between them to rest her nose against his shoulder.  "I'm behind you, but I don't want you to lose yourself."  She didn't know how else to phrase it - ah, but she'd never been a wordsmith, anyway.

Banner's concern was for him and Stark gave her a small smile. Of course she was worried about him. He would have shrugged, but he had to think on what she was asking. It made sense. It really did. But he had to. "What else can be done?" He asked evenly, looking over at Banner. "I'm all ears if you've got a better answer." He didn't think that there was one. 

If they let it all just fester out, if they left the pack then he couldn't do anything. It would be abandoning Grace, Trick, Harlyn, Mordecai, Silas, Pippin, Larkspur - all of the wolves that they all had promised to take care of. "I can't just sit by either. I can't." 

She huffed and buried her nose a little farther into his dark fur.  Obviously she didn't have any other ideas - he knew that.  Banner didn't bother to hold back when it came to Stark.  She never had to and that was the beauty of their relationship.  "I know you can't," she murmured into his fur, her voice full of affection for her brother.

Pulling back again, she flicked her tail a couple of times and felt her mood lighten.  Just a bit.  "If this is what we're doing, you know I'm in," she said with a shrug.  "What can I do?"  Her head tilted as she regarded her blue-eyed brother, the man who would put Marauder's Keep back on the right track.  It'd be a long road, but they'd make it.  Somehow.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss just between her eyes, smiling gently. "I don't know." He admitted. "I'm just....we'll make it. I know we will." He said softly. For a moment he let the silence swallow them up, feeling more calm in some ways, more riled in others. "Right now I'm gonna try and find Mordecai. If Pippin's still gone - that needs to be our first priority." He said quietly. 

He didn't want to leave yet, he didn't want to move anywhere else, or think of anything else. "I feel like I drug you into a mess." He mused after a long pause. "Is it insanely selfish of me to still have no where else I'd rather you be?"

Focusing on his face caused her eyes to cross when he placed a wolf kiss right between her eyes.  Banner snorted, bright green eyes rolling affectionately.  At least he seemed to lighten up a bit.. well, he was just slightly less on edge.  She'd chalk that up as a win, all things considered.  She made a noise in agreement to prioritizing the missing pup but didn't say anything else on the subject.  It was entirely likely that she'd set out on her own to search for him when she and Stark were done here.  That boy wouldn't be lost out there own his own forever, not if she had anything to do with it.

"I'm here because I want to be," she said with another quick eye roll.  Though intensely loyal, she wasn't likely to stick around in a true disaster situation.  Banner would much rather convince him to head out if that were the case, but she didn't believe things were too far gone yet to save the Keep.  "My loyalty is with you," she reminded him quietly, her gaze serious.  "Please remember that."

He had never doubted the perfection of his sister, her nature at her core as good as any he'd ever known. He took a slow breath, letting his eyes close as he focused for a moment just on her presence. In her could be raised a great storm, as surely as anything he'd ever known. She chose the higher path though, she chose to be stronger than what was in her. In that regard she was the strongest person he'd ever known. Stark looked at her for a moment, giving a nod.

"You're too good for a mess like me." He said fondly. "It won't get that bad though." It can't - I won't let it. Echoed a small voice in the back of his head. Stark couldn't carry the entire world on his shoulders but that had never stopped him before. Such a trivial detail was beyond him, his push for the greater good overwhelming. "I'm gonna try and see where Mordecai has looked for him - maybe we can get some teams going to bring Pippin home." 

Banner wanted to roll her eyes at Stark's comment about being too good, but she held it in.  There was a sentimental sincerity in his voice that she didn't dare discourage.  He'd need all the support he could get in the coming days.. weeks.. months?  However this mess unfolded, she knew where her place was: at his side.  Stark kept her mind whole and her mood elevated.  To be sure of his presence in her life was plenty to sustain her for years to come.  All she had to do was support him, be there for him.  In other words, she just had to be herself. 

"He told me he's looked through the mountains with some spotty coverage up North," she said with a frown.  Conversation with Mordecai had ended on a sour note - for Banner, at least - but she did manage to retain that bit of information.  "I've done some wandering through the mountains with a friend and didn't see any sign of him.  I'll head South."  Just as she'd told Mordecai she would.

Stark nodded as Banner laid her plans out, mentally ticking off the spots that he'd seen himself. "I'm gonna try to plan something out - might take a few days to see about any other packs in the area. I was thinking maybe heading southwest, I haven't gone there before." Stark explained. He could make a pass, take some time and then he'd plan his trip out from there. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad - that might be enough to get them a start and maybe he'd find Pippin along the way. 

"If you wanted, you'd be welcome to come along for part of it. Was thinking if we all spread out, we might find him faster." It was an idea at least, maybe they'd trade off - was Banner even interested in scouting though? For that matter, he needed to check with Rhodes and see how he felt about heading out with him - or maybe Banner in case they ran into someone more hostile. 

"That's a good idea - he might be seeking shelter in another pack," she added thoughtfully.  Hell, if she were a runaway pup who had been involved in a scuffle between two Alphas, Banner would probably see if a closeby pack would take her in.  He seemed too young to have made any friends of his own from other packs, but she didn't doubt that Harlyn and Mordecai had their own friends who might take pity on the young Pippin.  If the offspring of her friends came running to her, she'd gladly take them in.  Of course, she'd follow up and get a message to said parents, but that was beside the point.

"I don't.. I don't think we should be gone at the same time," she began with a frown.  "I'll take off in a day or so and head south.  Mordecai is here, but with the Alphas being.. private right now.."  Banner let out a frustrated sigh.  "I just worry about the Keep with you not here," she finished in a rush.

"Even if he isn't - I need to start getting to know them." He said with a little sigh. "If things don't get better and I do have to take the pack, I'll need other people in my court y'know?" He hated to think of that and consider the implications of what might happen, but, it was a very real possibility. If he had support from the outside it would be beneficial to him, and even if he didn't take the pack - if they found somewhere else - maybe some networking would be good too. 

Stark nodded as Banner spoke, offering him an idea that hadn't come to mind. It was a natural concern and it was a smart one. "You're right." Of course she was. She always was. "We should be careful." He said with a small sigh. Just on the off chance things got more haywire (which they would, it was Stark of course) they'd need some stability in the pack. "I don't think either of them are gonna do anything to each other but still. We should be careful about things."

To hell with anyone else!  He had all he needed right here.  Banner frowned.  A childish voice in her mind wanted her to say those things, but she knew better.  Stark needed support and he also needed to branch out.  Marauder's Keep had been a touch too far into isolationist territory and she knew it wasn't a good long-term strategy.  Politics required actual relationships with their neighbors.  Good politics, anyway.  He'd excel at that, though - he always had when it came to other wolves.

"I know," she replied seriously, not to the comment that she was right, but more that they needed to be careful.  Always careful.  It was frustrating that Banner and Stark were the only ones actually being careful in this whole drawn-out mess, but that was a rage-filled rant for another day and a different audience.  "We can keep do this.  You can keep us together."  She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.  "If anyone disagrees, I'll slip right back to angry Banner," she murmured with a chuckle.  It was meant as a joke, but the internal truth behind it was agonizing.

Stark didn't need anything but Banner and Rhodes. Still, he wanted to do things right, he wanted to be sure that they extended themselves to have a proper presence. He didn't want to just hide anymore like Octavia had them to. He was in between the notion of holeing up or properly finding an alliance somewhere. The other option was to move everyone and start over entirely but he couldn't do that really. 

Stark gave a little smile when she promised to revert back and loosen some of that control of hers and Stark nuzzled her. "My little rage monster." He hummed out. "C'mon. Why don't we find something for dinner?" He asked, hopeful for something else to occupy their attention for a little while before they did anything else. 

thought we could close this out and get a new one going soon?

always <3

She meant to send a mock glare his way, she really did, but a bright smile won out instead.  Stark would never allow her to wallow in her own emotions - might as well make light of things, right?  Banner couldn't imagine that their pack predicament could get much worse.  Optimism wasn't her strong suit, but she really started to believe that the only direction for them was up.

"Whatever you say, boss," she chuckled.  Banner growled happily at her brother and then pranced off.  He'd catch up in mere seconds and then they'd find something to eat.