Blackfeather Woods Where you hang your enemy's head [QUEST]

He fit in well into the Blackfeather sect, but he knew no one. He was not a praised Dark Brother here, just some relative of Meldresi, the deceased and worshipped Night Queen. He smirked at the thought. She always had some unearthly quality about her that made wolves quick to bend the knee. If they didn't, those who did would surge forward and push them to the ground. That she have a legacy was only natural for her. He only wished she was here.

But such thoughts were foolish to linger on now. Someone had scented coyotes in the Woods. In increasingly large and present numbers. Miraak found fresh dung, the scent burning his tongue. Miraak huffed, scanning the area before his head tipped back, calling for wolves to join him. He was too old to fight on his own, but he would enjoy getting to know his fellow Dark Siblings. He called for his nephews, @Cicero and @Damien, the priest @Kove, and the new recruit @Emélie. He was aware that the young boy @Crescent was still recovering, but he opened his invitation to him anyway.

Sorry for the wait!

Emma heard the call and was quick to respond. She began at a slow walk, but quickly sped up to a trot. As she went, she wondered what exactly she was being called for, then dismissed the thought. Whatever it was, she was needed - or at least wanted. Once she arrived to the source of the call, she slowed and examined the wolf who stood before her. He seemed to be around the same age as she, though to her brown he was a cool black. Unsure of his rank, she greeted him as her superior, tail lowered, head level. My presence was called? she spoke, keeping her voice steady though not challenging, and awaited his response.

From the tunnels had the Inuit emerged, his limbs wet from the water. He hadn’t minded the dampness, and so he’d not taken the time to try and dry them before he’d started back towards his den. He’d only just reached the midway point when a howl was heard, the voice—unfamiliar to his ears—calling for him and several others. It didn’t take a genius to realize that he was of the pack, for no loner, however foolish they might be, would be brash enough to summon several wolves of the woods. A fleeting glance was given in the direction of his familial den before he’d turned on his heel and made his way towards the owner of the voice.

When he’d arrived, there were two wolves there, one of the others to be called having appeared before him. Neither were beings that he knew by name, but the appearance of the man made him feel as if he was seeing a ghost. He’d looked away just long enough to nod towards the female, but, immediately after, he’d directed his attention back towards the male. “A Melonii?” he’d asked, assuming a relation due to how similar he looked to the late queen. As an answer was waited on, he’d assessed his surroundings discreetly, wondering for why the presences of several individuals had been requested. Nothing that might be perceived as trouble was able to be seen, however, he had noticed the appalling scent of coyotes. He’d not allowed for himself to jump to any conclusions, though, deciding it best to wait and see what the Meldresi look-a-like had intended to do after calling them all.

He was answered by two wolves. The first was a woman his age, but she was large and strong. She did not seem to be a part of the Brotherhood itself; the culture and traditions of this pack weren't known to him yet. But he bowed his head to her, knowing that he outranked him, if only by a little.

The second wolf seemed to have been here longer; his shoulder was marked red - he knew Meldresi. The familiarity in the wolf's eyes told him everything. Miraak nodded. Meldresi was my older sister, He murmured, the recent news of her death still painful.

But he did not call them here to reminisce. The shade gestured in the direction where the coyote smell was strongest. A band of coyotes have made their way into the Woods. Given winter's approach, they may be bold enough to start hunting our prey. He had caught a few glimpses of the white deer that jumped through the dark woods — they were magnificent to see, but prey nonetheless. We should disperse of them as soon as possible.

As his presence was called for, Cicero made his way through the dark forest, dwindling through its depths until he eventually reached location. Even Cicero halted a moment to look upon the male that stood before him, with a new member and Kove already joined by their side. It was as though looking straight at his mother, on first sight, but soon he realised this must be a relative of sort. Hadn't Damien told him of this?

"Interesting," he murmured and then nodded to the male in greeting. "Cicero," he shared, assuming that his name had yet reached the ears of this wolf. They had a task, apparently, and he nodded in silent acceptance of this task.

Miraak->Emma->Kove->Cicero is the order right? I just want to make sure moving forward lol.

Emma listened as her task was explained. She grinned and let out a quieter version of her infamous chuckle, though even this was enough to send a hollow rumble throughout her body. The mentioning of coyotes gave her a temporary high, as she knew immediately that it meant blood would be spilled. Perhaps this was meant to be a simple chase, but given what she'd learned in her time there she figured she'd have at least one chance to spill waste.
Where should we start? Do we have a starting point? The excitement shook her as she began to raise her hackles almost involuntarily. Her face wore a dopey expression. She'd removed herself slightly from the group so she could take a moment and compose herself without giving the wrong impression to her new packmates.

The order would actually be: Miraak → Cicero → Emélie → Kove. ^^

The male was related to Meldresi, just as he’d suspected. Her younger brother, in fact, though he could have easily passed for her twin. Kove nodded, but said nothing more on the topic. The reason behind the man having called them was revealed, which easily took precedence over memories of the past. There were coyotes within their woods, and it was important that the nuisances be removed. They were problematic for a number of reasons, really. Hunting aside, they posed a threat to the pack’s young, and so it became even more important that they be chased out—or killed, if they didn’t run fast enough.

Cicero arrived, and to him there’d been given a nod in greeting. The female was offered a glance when she’d spoken, too. Meanwhile, Kove kept quiet. He was ready to get moving whenever the others were, and so he’d nothing to say.

A third arrived. He did not recognize this one as the son of Meldresi at first, until he saw the spider carved into his shoulder. He nodded towards him, Cicero, smirking internally. Of course she would name him after the jester-assassin. 

He turned back to the matter at hand — familial status could wait for the moment. They are holed up there. If we are lucky their leader, or whomever, will be there. If not, perhaps their spawn, It would be essential to uproot them and then cull the remaining stragglers.

Shall we go? He turned towards the direction of the strong coyote stench, expecting the others to follow behind.

A short unspoken greeting was exchanged with each of the wolves. It was unfortunate his supposed relative did not give his name, so Cicero was left hanging, but he did not mind. He would likely find it later. Now he focussed on the task at hand, and he nodded at their task force leader, ready to follow him. As they departed Cicero followed, staying near the back for he was not very suited for fighting and preferred to come in later from the side or back rather than frontally.

Emèlie secured her spot near the head of the train, ears forward, mouth shut. She was intent on finding the vermin and once her mind was locked into mission mode, there was no turning back. Emma's snout twitched slightly as she attempted to pick out which way the scents twisted and turned, though she refused to attack until given the command to do so.
She was no soldier, nor was she a rookie, but she was a new wolf and could do without a pissed off pack.

Prompted to head out, the Inuk began following after the man. He neither took the lead nor fell behind, but settled for a position somewhere in the middle. It was not his hunt to lead, he knew, and so he’d focus on Miraak and watch for whatever signals he might give. Though it was unlikely that he’d bother with eating any of the creatures, it was still a hunt, and so he would remain silent throughout the majority of it.

The others followed, and Miraak led them to the coyote nest, though it wasn't hard to find. The coyotes weren't exactly hiding. And if they were...then they were doing a terrible job.

They walked quietly as the smell intensified, the Woods silent around them. With enough effort from the four of them, they could scatter the vermin, but the look at the mismatched wolf's form worried him. Would he even be strong enough to fight? He knew little about the male (he didn't even know that was his nephew), nor of his fighting abilities. As he stopped, turning to the three. The den is up ahead; under that dead tree. We can surround the area and close in, blocking off any means of escape, He looked at them all, wondering what they had in mind for an attack.

Cicero had never been a very good fighter, preferring bluff and poison as his weapon of choice, but since the famine he knew he was even less suited. Had he been given more time to prepare, then he may have brought poisons, but unfortunately he had not had the chance to do so. He followed near the tail end of the group, feeling no urge to prove himself for he had been born into this pack and since long proven his position. Ears cupped forward to listen as the male spoke, and Cicero nodded in silent acceptance of the plan.

He suggested, "Perhaps one could lure them from the den while the others hide alongside the tree. Then, the rest attacks." He did not know coyotes very well, be he guessed them to be cowards when faced with a group of larger, stronger animals. Most animals were. So it would be good to trick them.

Emma listened intently, nodding along to each male's words. Seeing as she was a fairly large wolf, even by the likes of this lot, it made sense that she remain on the outskirts as reinforcements. I'll remain on the outside of the party. If any of them get out of your grasps, I can handle them. Normally, she wouldn't back down from an opportunity to impress her superiors, but being on the inside of the hunting party wasn't the best way to go. Her power came in strength, not in speed, and she'd hate to be the reason their targets escaped.

As a plan was explained, he listened, thinking it over. Blocking them from escaping would definitely result in many being killed, which was the purpose of their task, he believed; dead things couldn’t return with a vengeance. With a nod, he agreed to the proposed idea, then glanced towards Cicero as he began speaking. “We might have better luck if you’re the one to lure them out,” he commented. Coyotes were troublesome and, at times, mischievous. Catching sight of a wolf in the patchwork male’s condition might encourage them to throw caution to the wind and run right into the jaws of the others.

He listened to the rest of them, a mental map formulating as they suggested strategies. He looked to Cicero, knowing that he would not be much help in the actual fighting, but Kove's suggestion made sense. Would you be willing to be the bait? He could feign injury — though the mere look of his wasted form should be enough for the coyotes — and draw them out, running and leaving the rest of them to lay waste to the coyotes. If you lure them out; the three of us can position ourselves... Grasping a branch in his mouth, he drew a semicircle, a stone moved to represent the den moved to the center. He pointed to the far left and right sides of the semicircle Here, here, and then to a point directly in front of the den's opening. And here. Once most of them have come out, we can close around them. You can choose to join in the fighting if you wish, He said, nodding towards his nephew. He looked towards the others. Any modifications? If not, then we can begin.

Cicero had expected no less than to be appointed the bait. He knew he would not be very useful in a fight, and now would not be the right time to draw forward his herb knowledge. He was glad that his plan was picked up on, and realised he must look worse than he felt to see that everyone readily agreed it would be better if he were bait, in his current state. It made the philosopher wonder if he would ever return to his former state, or if he'd forever stay the way the famine had shaped him.

"Yes," he agreed without hesitation. He watched as the plan was explained further and then he nodded. Presuming that nobody else had any objections to the formed plan, Cicero moved in first. As he approached, his demeanour changed; from his previously neutral stature to one of aggression. He stood before the coyote den as he challenged, "Come out, you mangy mutts, and get ready to be pounded!" His voice was laced with an anger he summoned from his artist heart, acting all the way. "You disgust me, half-wolves." And he hoped they'd take the bait and come out while the rest got into position and he pretended to be the lone fool.

With the plan finalized and in the works, Emma moved only a bit away from the small den. To them, she would be nonexistent, but the angle she chose gave her a decent view of the scene. Immediately, adrenaline began to course through her veins as she awaited the first one to slip out from hiding. 
And soon enough, she got her wish.

The Inuk had done little more that wait and watch as his suggestion was considered and, ultimately, agreed with. Cicero would act as bait, luring the lesser canines out so that the elder three could tear them down. He was eager to jump into action—if only because killing them meant protecting his family, his home. Without having heard any objections to the plan that had then been laid out by Miraak, the ghost had nodded and broken away. With a flick of his tail and a tilt of his muzzle, he’d claimed the right side for himself and made sure that the others knew of his intentions. Once there, he’d crouched low and thus began the waiting game, fiery gaze staring off in the direction of the coyotes’ den.