Felltree Marsh Like spinning plates

I'd really like a @Stark thread (and maybe @Tambourine too :P).

The Cardinal had a lot on his mind. Unsettling news seemed to fall into his lap from every direction. First, Seff's disappearance and Vuk's heartbroken state plagued Hiram's sleepless nights -- but now that Tavi had turned up near the grotto in a state of madness, Hiram worried for the safety of his only son. His own flesh and blood. Enough was enough, so Hiram put his girls to bed and stole away from the grotto in the dead of night to but his worries to rest.

He would find the children: both Seff and Tambourine. Walking south, Hiram went the direction in which Tavi had run away during the storm. Her trail was long gone, but Hiram worked his way south of the rise by the light of the moon. He found himself in a marsh. It was familiar to him from his time living on Redtail Rise, however, he still found himself unsettled in the darkness. He sucked in a nervous breath and pressed on, unwittingly traveling toward the pack he was trying to find.

There had been no resistance since taking his pack. He didn't expect any, either, but to have the support of his wolves still warmed  his heart.  There was plenty to keep him grounded though, between more than half the Ostrega family missing and Octavia too. The dark alpha slipped from the Keep after letting @Banner know where he was heading. He left Tambourine with her, @Rhodes undoubtedly nearby, and set out beneath the moonlight for a walk. 

He didn't go down to the Marsh too often, mostly because he had no real reason to - his attention seemed pulled in too many directions for him to feel comfortable even with the few trips he had made outside their lands. The Keep would be changing, he decided. They didn't need to be so secretive, to hold themselves away from everyone else. The loyalty of the wolves who had once been among their ranks had proven fleeting. 

There was motion in the distance and Stark stopped moving - steps quiet in the night, eyes narrowing to see another dark figure nearby. He couldn't make out who it was, though. 

Stark might have seen to it that Tambourine was not alone or unguarded, though it was mostly unnecessary: the boy slept like a log. Except that he stirred awake perhaps twenty minutes after the new Alpha's departure, his bladder fit to bursting. With a grunt, the growing pup pushed himself to his paws and blinked sleepily at his nearby caretakers. He almost badgered Banner to come outside with him to pee. But he was a big boy now! He could roam the territory freely and didn't need anyone to come with him to take a leak. So he slithered from The Crook, uncharacteristically grumpy and quiet as he disembarked.

He meant to turn right around and go back to bed after emptying the tank, yet he caught a whiff of Stark's scent threading through the willow trees. Curious as to why he wasn't in the communal den and eager as ever to hang with his buddy, Tambourine unthinkingly began to track him through the darkness, showing a nearly uncanny talent for it. Although he was young, he was somewhat familiar with the concept of pack borders and knew when he crossed over them. But if his Alpha was up ahead, then there was nothing to fear, right?

His eyes—finally darkening from that stone-washed blue—squinted through the gloom when he spotted a silhouette in the near distance. He had actually missed Stark entirely and was looking at his very own father, not that Tambourine was to know that. "Stark!" he bellowed, having woken up a lot on his little jaunt, running right at Reek.

Hiram continued along without noticing the other dark figure moving toward him under the cover of night. The scents of others lingered in the air, but the territory of a pack was close, so the Cardianal thought nothing of it. He had not traveled in this direction -- perhaps it had been the pack Tavi had gone on to lead. The one Nova had described. The chances were slim that she had taken residence so close to the grotto, but there was a chance. With his purpose restored his walk went undisturbed.

He remained, however, on high alert. Tavi was irrational. She'd blown a gasket or something, so Hirarm didn't expect any polite conversations on the border. There was a good chance he was traveling right into enemy territory. A shout froze him in his place. The name shouted was unfamiliar, but the voice was one of a child. A boy's -- who's age was roughly the same as he and Tavi's son.

The boy, mistaking Hiram's identity rushed in his direction. The Cardinal looked down as the boy teetered toward him and saw how much he favored Tavi in appearance, however, he was not quick to make assumptions about his parentage. Even still, son or not, all Hiram saw was a young boy wandering about in the dead of night in unclaimed territory. It was not safe for him here. Thankfully, the boy had run into someone who would do him no harm.

While Stark hadn't exactly expected Tambourine to stay still he had hoped, perhaps beyond hope, that the boy would at least stay in the confines of the Crook. He hadn't realized that he had been hightailed until he heard Tambourine call out his name. With the unknown wolf still too close for comfort to the pack - and now Tambourine - Stark was already on high alert. He moved closer, changing his approach to intercept Tambourine only to finally be close enough to make out who was nearby. "Son," And while Stark had never addressed him openly that way - especially not with Octavia throwing it in his face that no matter how much he wished otherwise, he wasn't Tambourine's father - he wanted to stake his claim on the boy, he wanted to make it crystal clear who had actually been there and raising him. He couldn't remember but he felt certain that Nova Rose had told Reek Tambourine's name. 

"It's late - we should be sleeping." Stark murmured as calmly and gently as he could, his tail arched high behind him, his posture very clear - if Reek made a move against them, Stark would do whatever it took to protect him. If worse came to worse it would a short call to bring Banner and Rhodes to his aide to get Tambourine somewhere safe. He didn't even care about Reek's life - all he cared about was protecting his son. He leaned over the puppy, pressing a gentle but firm nudge to his shoulder to direct him and hopefully get him moving back home. 

It would be a longer trek home than should be - with them so close no doubt Reek could track them and would know where they lived. Perhaps if he carried Tambourine they could make it down towards the ridge and approach from that side. Anything to at least delay the inevitable. 

The sound of another voice in the darkness startled him, causing Tambourine to jerk his head sideways. He saw that it was Stark and simply corrected his trajectory, momentarily forgetting all about the other silhouette as he closed the distance between himself and his guardian. "The sun's sleepin'!" he crowed as he bumped his soft gray head into Stark's leg, eyes shining upward and tail waving. He had a friendly duh look on his face. Stark should know better!

And then, abruptly, he recalled the other wolf and turned his head to look at him, even as Stark began trying to usher him away. Tambourine mindlessly evaded him, slithering away from Stark like a slinky cat and padding toward the darker shadow. He was not willfully disobedient, just incredibly curious. "Who's that?" he called out loudly, then more directly, "Who're you?" The boy had no real sense of stranger danger, though some sort of instinct must have told him to approach with caution, as he didn't throw himself at the unfamiliar figure like he had been doing to unsuspecting pack mates all his life. Even little Tambourine knew, on some level, that this was an outsider.

Before the boy could get any closer, another wolf stepped in and addressed the child as Son. Hiram took a step back, eyes adjusting to the other dark figure in the moonlight. He was vaguely familiar, both at first glance and smell, but his identity had yet to click. However, after a few moments of examination, the Cardinal realized that this was not a stranger -- he had been the one along with Nova Rose to bring news of his child.

Which meant, this boy -- Hiram looked back down to the child -- this boy was his son. Biologically of course.

Stark was quick to try and usher the boy away, but the child had other plans. "I'm a friend," he said, opting not to drop the whole, I'm your dad bombshell on his head. There were other things to address first. "A friend of your mom's." It felt weird to say, but Hiram felt there was no other way to describe his relationship with Tavi.

Which reminded him...

He turned his attention to Stark. "Has Tavi come back home?" he asked, concern clear in the tone of his voice. "I found her by the Rise. She's— something's wrong." Nevertheless, it was likely that Stark already knew of her condition.

Stark was on high alert. With everything that had happened recently he did not want to let anything else happen and least of all to Tambourine. He wouldn't let the boy go no matter how much the other might want it. Stark was, right now, the only parent that Tambourine had. He gave the boy a small smile, trying not to upset him as the puppy rubbed against him like a cat and then turned to address Reek. Before Stark could explain anything - and it was almost a relief since he had no idea how to explain a history that Octavia had not explained well herself - Reek said he was a friend of hers. Simple enough. Fine. Stark could handle that. 

But Reek offered information that Stark had not anticipated and he let out a little breath, something not quite a sigh of relief but it was better than what he had before. "No." He said quietly. "She was by the Rise? I ran into Valette - she said she'd keep an eye out on her journey." He admitted begrudgingly. If more people were looking for Octavia that was good in his opinion, even if Reek was the last wolf that STark truly wanted involved. 

"She attacked a puppy at home, she's been...she's been sliding since then." He explained. Reek knew Octavia before all of this started and the wolf that Stark knew was probably very different than the wolf that Reek had known. Stark leaned down, nosing Tambourine's cheek gently. "Want me to call Banner, see if she'll take you on a little walk for a bit?" Stark asked the boy - as loathe as he was to admit it, it might be good to talk to Reek for awhile without Tambourine around. 

The instant he said he was a friend of his mom's, Tambourine's maw split into a wide, welcoming grin and his little tail began to wave. He began to look around conspicuously a beat later, dark blue eyes squinting out into the darkness around them, before he looked back up at the black wolf. He opened his mouth to say, "Where's mum?" but he realized that Tavi's friend and Stark were talking, so he flicked his ears and tried to keep up with the conversation.

The key phrases he picked up on were "something's wrong" and "attacked a puppy." Tambourine's mouth fell open, not sure what to make of these words now that he somewhat understood what they meant in regards to Tavi. Before he could formulate an opinion, Stark nudged him and asked if he wanted to take a walk with Banner. Of course, his first instinct was to give an enthusiastic, "Yes!" In fact, part of the word popped out of his mouth: "Ye—!" But then his silver brow furrowed.

All this time, he hadn't really felt Tavi's absence as he did now. Reality finally settled on his little gray shoulders. "Where's mum?" he asked sadly. Anyone who knew Tambourine would know that he rarely if ever used such a melancholy tone. He belatedly shook his head in response to Stark's question. "I wanna find mum..." His usually loud, chipper voice had dropped to a woeful mumble.

Knowing that Tavi had not returned to the safety of home (wherever that may be) made Hiram's gut clench with worry. It wasn't safe alone -- especially not for one in Tavi's mental state. Nevertheless, the Cardinal was surprised that Valette was also on the case. "Val?" He asked, somewhat surprised. To know that she was looking too brought him some semblance of ease. "She's my daughter -- you can trust her. There aren't many out there that care about Tavi as much as she does." He was so proud. Though she had grown up fast, she grew up kind. 

As Stark went on to explain, Hiram realized Tavi's condition was worse than he thought. It was good that he came, he figured. It was good that he could see Tam -- safe. "When I found her, she was babbling incoherently. She ran before I could help her." Though there was likely nothing he could have done, he could have at least offered her the safety of his church. "I worry about her -- and I was worried about Tam. I had to come."

Hiram dipped down to the pups level, allowing himself a good look at his son for the first time. Tears welled in his eyes. "We're gonna find mum, OK? And we're gonna make her better again.""

He was surprised - albeit a little confused for a moment - given the age of the wolf he'd met and the age he expected from Reek. But then, he didn't actually know his age or hers, but still. At least there was a connection and Valette had been honest. He hadn't doubted her, after all, but it was good to have the reassurance. Still he lets out a shaky breath and his stomach is still coiled and clenched tight and he's scared - he's so scared. He hates to admit it. He refuses to admit it. Least of all to a man he didn't even know. 

Stark watched the little puppy deflate a bit, frowning as he saw his reaction. He leaned down, tongue flashing across Tambourine's forehead. It was hard to imagine how he must have felt, his whole world gone basically. "We'll do our best, I promise." Stark said gently. He looked up at Reek, although he couldn't say that they'd be involved together but he would be hopeful that if the man found Octavia he'd help her get home. 

"I've never seen her like this. She flipped betweens emotions a lot. She was talking normally though. Maybe forgot some words though." Stark tried to think back and at the time he'd thought she was just that upset that she'd been tongue tied. "I just want her home." He admitted quietly.

While the two adults continued speaking, Tambourine sank deep into his sudden funk, staring sadly out into the night as he pined for his mother. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen her. A whimper was building in his throat when the black wolf said his name, causing the pup to glance at him. He wasn't sure what had been said to or about him but then Tavi's friend reassured him directly.

It was like the weight lifted off his shoulders. Tambourine bounced to his feet. "Now?!" he asked but didn't wait for an answer. "We're gonna find you, mum!" he crowed, suddenly in better spirits again as he shot off into the darkness.

You're more than welcome to 'power play' catching up to him (he isn't trying to run away). :)

Without warning, little Tambourine took off as fast as his legs to could take him. Hiram's first instinct was to chase after the boy, yet he refrained and remained beside Stark. Already, he felt as if he was overstaying his welcome -- and also, it was too difficult to see his son at a time like this. So, Hiram looked one final time and said, "I loved her once," in reference to Tavi in a somber, yet off-handed manner.

"I hope you bring her home." Hiram sighed and bit his lip. "Take care of him, please," he pleaded before dissapearing into the shadows in the opposite direction.

The boy bolted and Stark shook his head, eyes rolling as Tambourine yelled. It was a fond motion, and he might even have chuckled had his attention not turned to Reek. He'd loved Tavi. It wasn't hard to tell why. Stark knew the bloom of affection he had for her, something he couldn't quite shake and that he hadn't truly expected but there he was. 

"I will." 

I am - the family that Reek had tried to make for himself was the one that Stark adored and the one he had been fighting to take care of. He wasn't going to stop just because he'd had a chance encounter with Reek. Without waiting he took off after Tambourine, he'd return to his hunt for Octavia later.