Ravensblood Forest the moon lives in the lining of your skin

first scouting thread! no posting order. :-)

Eske wastes no time in gathering her forces for the scouting trip and setting out. The mission is time sensitive now, with Wildfire and Arlo gone for so long without so much as a word. She knows, however, that she cannot push them as she would push herself. If she were just on her own she would have slept minimally and ate just enough to sate the rumble of her belly but her time as Fleimkepa had …changed her. Not inherently, but it has opened her eyes to her tendencies that were little more than selfish and …tempered them. She may be born for war but Drageda is her family and even though she has stepped back down ( though not to Cheka but to Wanlida the rank she has wanted for so long ) her time spent as the keeper of the flame has made it’s imprint upon her.

It is early morning, the sun burning like a red-orange halo as it rises in the distance when she leads them to Ravensblood Forest. She pauses at the scents, letting out a low chuff of warning to her wolves as she sniffs them out. They are few but there and her hackles bristle with unbridled unease, it is clearly an attempt to claim. She lets out a low huff, pausing to glimpse back at them over her shoulder. @Shalon, @Cecil and @Étoille — the later of which she is not overly familiar with and knows little about but name. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to play twenty questions with him. It’s not yet a pack and Eske has never feared confrontation, besides the fact that going around either by back-tracking or pushing further west would cost them time. “We can’t afford to waste time back-tracking or trying to go around. We go through,” She decides and takes the bold step into the dark, ancient woods. “and let me handle it if we are apprehended.” Eske is no diplomat but she is the leader of this expedition and hopes that her time as Fleimkepa, regardless of how brief, has been enough to teach her a thing or two.

 Though his time with Drageda has been short, he's been tasked with something important. Étoille is not privy to all of the details yet; he'd never had a chance to meet Wildfire. But the man is driven by loyalty and his words to Dio at the border had been true, and so he applies himself seriously to the task at hand.

The only thing he knows of his companions are their names, and so he cannot help but watch them thoughtfully as they move. (It's a bit of a bad habit - he'd done similar with Mirabelle, though he demures easily). Their leader - Eske, their .. fleimkepa, he thinks? - has chuffed: the beast pauses. Ah. He scents what she does - a fledgling claim to territory. Étoille does not find himself particularly bothered by this. There is no pack, and so there is no proper claim yet, and their numbers are such that they can handle any scuffles, he is confident. He agrees silently with Eske's decision, head dipping slightly, but does not bother to speak. Instead he falls into place, an impressive figure to flank her, and moves forward, watching for signs of life - and threat - within the forest.

Durnehviir's first few nights spent in Ravensblood Forest were uneventful, and she'd spent most of that time resting. Though she welcomed the comforting embrace and closeness of her swarthy companion, the crimson-tipped beauty had kept mostly to herself. She slept soundly through the evenings and into early morning, finally able to recharge her depleted energy sources.

On that particular day she hunted, and had woke before sunrise to prowl the darkened forest in search of a meal. She finally happened across a young weasel near the edge of the territory and claimed its life rather swiftly, before settling down to eat. Durnehviir had set about cleaning her bloodied paws and muzzle when she thought she heard voices, so paused to raise her head and scan the area with russet ears high atop her crown. Carefully, the tawny Frostfur rose slightly from her sphinx-like position and remained low enough to creep forward, keen to stay out of sight. 

From among the foliage and at a comfortable distance she observed a small group of wolves as they lingered on the woodland outskirts. She counted four, and listened intently as the apparent leader of the band announced that they would in fact go through despite the obvious fresh scent markings, not around. 

Frustration tugged her features into a frown, but Durnehviir did not step out to make herself known. Instead she remained still in her hiding place to await backup - at four against one, she'd be greatly outnumbered should she intercept. For now she would watch and wait, follow if need be, but it would be foolish of her to challenge these scouts by herself.

Marie, you're still free to hope in when/if you'd like! :-)

Étoille moves to flank her, and she spares him an appreciated glimpse over her shoulder as she leads the way into the forest. Eske is not small — she’s of a medium, average height ( taller than her mother was ) but that does not mean that she does not underestimate the value of having a titan like Drageda’s newer recruit flank her side. She doesn’t need him to protect her but the tactician isn’t afraid to let the intimidation factor his build and size offers do the dirty work for them, either. Sometimes, deception is a necessary evil and she not above using it as a ploy. To look like a pretty little thing all the while hiding that her bite is infinitely worse than her bark. She can back her words up with skill but sometimes it’s an advantage not to place all of one’s cards on the table. There is a creep in the hairs at the nape of her neck, a shiver of her hackles. She feels like they are being watched but as she discreetly studies the dark landscape around them she cannot see anyone. Eske knows better than to let that fool her though. She keeps to her own silence, however, and trudges through, ears alert atop her skull as she listens for any noises that may strike her as out of place.

Perhaps it is shallow but Étoille's favorite part of his new home is the average size of his packmates. Not that he looks down on smaller sized creatures .. completely, but he does carry a degree of condescension caused by vanity. Eske is by no means as large as he but she is respectably sized and, though he does not know her very well, he can intuit she is not to be messed with in a fight. (Considering he is not, despite his appearance, a fighter, this is a quality he very much admires). All this to say: layers of deception are at work with the big-looking-non-threat flanking and the smaller but significantly more deadly leader.

The beast is used to not having to pay much attention to his surroundings. However, he knows that this trip requires more diligence on his part. He glances to his scouting companions, and then to the lines of trees beside them. There is... something, he wants to say, but he cannot quite figure it out, and so he follows his Wanlida's lead and stays silent but alert, waiting to engage if need be.

Shalon was apprehensive about this turn of event, she had never known Wildfire and had only encountered Arlo once. But she still felt the connection of family between them, she was slowly fading into the life that was Dreageda and she found the is was suiting her. This journey would merely cement the feeling she knew deep within her.

Shalon came up along Eske's other side, offering her support. Although she couldn't help but voice her concern. "We aren't looking to make more enemies Cheka, perhaps we should look for a way round." Shalon knew how to fight but that wasn't what she wanted, although as she looked between the four of them she figured they would be set for any confrontation. However he diplomatic side was making itself known, "We could always reach out, ask them for permission. They are still a knew pack, they will be very suspicious, and unwelcoming if they find us within their claimed land." Shalon refrained from naming anyone, if by chance they were being watched, it would be better if there was no connection to Drageda, names were liabilities.

The scent and murmurings of the unfamiliar drew him forward – his hackles bristled, and he felt his lips pull upward in a silent snarl. He swept forward throughout the bleeding forest, one ear tipping to the sound of a raven as it sounded out its own discontent at the intruders. He seen the svelte form of Durnehviir, and with a possessive concern, the shadow runner brushed against her softly as he pulled up behind her, his eyes set upon her before drifting back to the wolves that stole through their ongoing claim.
 
Their voices were soft, and he could not fully make out their words to one another – but their intention as clear as a young she-wolf began to lead them forward. Tipping his nose to brush at Durnehviir’s cheek, he brushed his lips to her ear. “Stay here, please,” he murmured quietly, unwilling to place her in any danger.
 
Moving forward, the Regal stalked toward the group, his own form lifting in the dominance of the reigning scent among the trees they now tried to steal through. “Can I help you?” He was unwilling to be walked over – but there was also little he could do with four versus one, and so he took in the scenario, calculating his options with a stoical mask.

Feel free to skip Durnehviir, she's just observing.  :)

Durnehviir remained entirely silent, as the band of strangers murmured among themselves and moved deeper into the forest. She ducked below low branches and crept, hidden, among the dense foliage, careful with her footing as not to give her position away. She was determined to keep these unknown wolves in her sight, all the while clinging to hope that her other potential pack-mates might also be drawn to the unfamiliar scents of their invaders so they could intercept as a group.

Not surprisingly, Constantine himself arrived on the scene. He moved in from behind and pressed himself alongside her, and Durnehviir rose her snout to bump his neck softly. Following his bright eyes, she looked upon the four outsiders once again. The aspiring Alpha requested gently that she remain hidden away and, shocked that he wished to go ahead and question them on his own, she gawked at him with wide eyes. Unwilling to disregard his authority, however, the tawny beauty nodded and continued to watch with rising anxiety as her companion stalked forward alone.

Eske manages a nod to Shalon's protest, letting the woman know that she hears her but that she isn't going to try to find a way around. They don't have the time and as if to prove Shalon right the group is soon intercepted by a male whose every pore radiated dominance. Eske bristles against it. He is not her Commander and his dominance means little to her. He is attempting to claim, yes, but this territory does not yet belong to him in full and he hardly — judging from the scents she detects anyway — has enough to form an army. Perhaps Heda’s trust in her is misplaced. For Eske will always rebel against leadership she does not recognize. For a moment, she genuinely tries to put herself in his place and acknowledges that she’d be plenty hostile but in the end: until the territory was claimed there was nothing that could actually be done since technically they were not trespassing. Not yet, anyway. She tries to find that Fleimkepa nature but she’s never had it. Not really. She was the Gydasdottir born for war. Diplomacy had always been Freyja’s cup of tea. But Eske does not seek to make trouble for Drageda. She only wants to pass through so that her party can be on it’s way and accomplish the mission they’d been sent out to do. She halts and motions for her wolves to do the same with a gesture of her muzzle. “We have no interest in your attempting claim nor do we seek to challenge it. We only want to pass through these Woods. We are on a time sensitive mission as two of our wolves have gone missing and time wasted could be the difference of life or death for them. Backtracking at this point would only extend our mission.” In Arlo’s case it’s too late but Eske doesn’t know this yet. She still holds onto hope that they are both still alive and are taking the long way ‘round ( though she’s hardly naive enough to believe it ). She understands that their missing wolves have nothing to do with him but standing here talking only prolongs their mission and forces them to linger in this territory longer than necessary.

 One of their other companions speaks up, expressing concern for Wanlida's plan. Étoille remains silent, impassive. He agrees with Eske but it is not his place to voice opinion one way or the other - he is still wet behind the ears. He does not know enough about the politics of inter-pack diplomacy.

 It does not take long for one of the burgeoning clan to appear. Beside Eske, Étoille stiffens slightly - hardly a move of dominance so much as a move of defensiveness. Again he chooses silence, both because Wanlida instructed such and because he is by nature a quiet beast. As far as he is concerned his size will do the speaking for him should this dark male take issue with Eske's statements.

Sorry! I was waiting for others to reply but it looks like their on PPC now.

Constantine considers her words – irritation courses through his veins, but he reveals none of this, his fiery eyes sweeping over the small party. He wasn’t certain of the dynamics or numbers of their pack – but he found himself contemplating the potential to rally the wolves that did claim the forest as their home – for the rest of her pack were not here to aide them now.
 
But pride was not worth the resources and wasted energy – even more, the potential casualties. If something were to happen to either Durnehviir or Aria, he would never forgive himself. And so the shadow runner sets aside his current thoughts. The next time the wolves from this pack – now with their scent well known – attempted such a brazen act, it would not be forgiven. Ravensblood Forest was not established now – but it would not remain so.
 
“Good luck with your task,” he offered then, his own tone dark as he sidestepped now, indicating quite clearly he would not be attempting to hold them back from their time sensitive mission. But there was no friendliness in his gaze – instead, he met them with indifference. It was time to step up the recruitment – and form what the wolves who did reside here were looking for.