Redhawk Caldera yes yes, bombay is very nice this time of year.

Mandatory pack meeting! Prepare to have your character blasted with a crapton of information all at once <3 Slight PP in assuming y'all are gathered already! This round will end on 12/24 in the interest of keeping this baby moving. At least, it probably will. We'll see - it's Christmas time and all.

@Elwood @Towhee @Lagan @Raven @Phox @Sebastian @Screech @Colt @Gannet @Quixote @Tegan @Lucca @Clover @Andalusia @Wildfire @Ben @Orca @Fiadh

@Shrike @Allure @Whip you've been pre-approved to join as well as this takes place after your joining threads.

Fin stood quietly at Elwood's side, watching as one by one, the wolves of the Caldera filed in at the sound of her call. Some, of course, hadn't had far to go. They had decided to gather everyone at the rendezvous site, and so Clover, Fiadh, Lucca and Tegan were present already, along with Lagan - their ever vigilant sitter and Wildfire, their ever vigilant... resident cripple, I guess. Raven had not been far - just over the crest of the collapsed mountain's peak, searching for herbs along the outer slopes with Orca and Andalusia along to assist her. The others appeared in pairs or solo as the minutes stretched on, but eventually all who would arrive had done so with curious faces and eyes set upon the alphas.

The Blackthorn turned to look at her mate once everyone had arrived, sharing his gaze for one brief moment of comfort before she stepped forward, tail, ears and chin raised with all the authority her title granted her. "I know that by now the news of what the pack in Blackfeather Woods has done is no secret," she began, "But for those who don't, so that there's no doubt... The wolves of Blackfeather are the ones who kidnapped and tortured Wildfire and Titmouse, and likely countless others who happened to be unfortunate enough to cross paths with one of their members. They have been a threat to our pack for years, and the time has now come for us to finally do something about it."

"The commander of Drageda will be returning to the Caldera any day now with her warriors, and together we will go to face the Blackfeather pack and drive them out of the Wilds once and for all," Finley continued, "I want it to be known now that we will not force anyone to fight..." her gaze flicked to Sebastian before shifting back to the full gathering, "But we are going to ask of every one of you to do what is needed to ensure the safety of our family, and our future. And in this endeavor, there is nothing more important than those two things. And that's why, we have decided that some of you will be asked to fight while others will be asked to temporarily evacuate the Caldera."

"Raven, Lagan, Titmouse, and Ben.. Elwood and I have discussed it and we want you to take the pups North and then East to find safety away from the Caldera. Wildfire, you will go with them too." Raven and Lagan would soon enough be named godparents to the wildlings, so it was only right that they be the ones to go. Wildfire was still healing, and so she couldn't join the fight, nor could she just remain in the Caldera on her own. Titmouse she simply did not trust to join the fight considering the actions he'd taken against her mate - and anyway, was he even here right now? And Ben.. Well, Ben was a bit of a favor to Sebastian whom would always be her friend, no matter how pissed off she got at him. Plus the fact that she liked the boy and she also knew that a battlefront was not the place for him.

"The rest of you, I'm asking to come fight Blackfeather with us," she said, pausing to let the request sink in. Moving on, she looked pointedly now at Raven and Lagan, "Once Drageda arrives, we will discuss the logistics in further detail. But for now, you will take the kids into the mountains and we will send a messenger to notify you that everything is safe and we can all return to the Caldera."

The alpha paused, words hanging on the tip of her tongue, but she held them still for now. She looked across those that had gathered now and waited for the backlash. Fin had no qualms about squashing any protest that rose, but there was truly only one matter of contention that she was absolutely adamant about - and that was that Raven and Lagan would be taking her kids to safety.

Towhee was in the middle of a patrol, X cruising along overhead, when a breathless @Phox appeared to tell her the pack was gathering at the rendezvous site. Her orange eyes widened in understanding and, in the split second before she galloped after her brother, the mercenary scanned the horizon for any sign of Drageda's approach.

They arrived just as the matriarch was preparing to address the crowd, and situated themselves near enough to Finley that Towhee would be able to read her lips. Her heart was beating rapidly in her breast as she settled down, eyes zeroing in on her godmother's face so she wouldn't miss a word of the woman's speech.

Most of what Finley said wasn't news to her, though her ears splayed uncertainly at the idea of the pack splintering into two, with half of them going to fight and the rest sheltering in the mountains. Then she remembered that their numbers would be nearly doubled by their allies' ranks and she felt a little reassured. Still, she looked over at Wildfire, the pups and everyone else who was being commanded to flee rather than fight, frowning thoughtfully.

She couldn't spare to look away for long, her attention promptly returning to her aunt. She was among those called to fight, of course, and Towhee felt a swell of apprehensive excitement. -Happy to fight alongside you,- she signed, looking each godparent in the eye. Aloud, Towhee added, "Let's kick their fucking asses!" much, much too loudly.

Colt showed up, sauntering in and taking a seat a bit away from Finley.  He'd heard rumor of their issues with this place, and had wandered that way briefly just before; a move that meant he had yet to really meet anyone from here.  Old habits die hard.

As he watched his sister rally them, it struck him again how different they'd become.  Not in a bad way, just... it would take some getting used to, this matriarchal version of his sister, when he still pictured the young wolf who used to help him bait moose and rob beehives.

He didn't speak up when she finished, but if she looked his way for confirmation, she received a nod in return.  He was there now to be a part of this, and he wasn't about to run off first sign of trouble.  Besides, they'd need his help if they had any chance of runnin these Blackfeathers out.

As Elwood stood at Finley's side, listening to her speak to their family, he felt immense pride. It wasn't just because she was saying the words that he couldn't formulate; it was the passion in her voice, the confidence that she expressed. Of course, there were things about this war that they didn't know. They couldn't predict the future. But she had worked tirelessly to come up with a plan that would keep their children safe, and she laid the proposal out more eloquently than he could have, even with the dangerous tides that were swiftly rising around them.

He shifted his gaze to watch Raven and Lagan carefully, hoping they would accept their responsibilities without any protest. While everyone had been asked to complete tasks of varying risks, in that moment he was most concerned with the reactions of those entrusted with the protection of the wildlings. He looked out over the rest of the crowd a moment later, gauging the ripple of emotions that was surely evident across each and every face.

Towhee was the first to respond, and her shout earned a tight-lipped smile from her godfather. He then spared an appreciative glance for Colt, whose affirmative nod expressed his willingness to support his formerly-estranged sister. "Is everyone clear on the plans?" he asked, encouraging more confirmation from the rest of the pack.

Lucca sat amongst his siblings as pack members emerged from the tree line and into the rendezvous area. There was an eerie sense of trepidation both in the air and on all of the Redhawk wolves' faces, though the boy couldn't yet put a word to the feeling. His discomfort showed itself through a rapidly beating tail and his inability to sit still, continuously leaning over and fiddling with Fiadh's ears, snapping at Tegan playfully, or trying to taunt Clover.

He settled down only when Finley began to speak with an undeniable air of authority, providing the reason for why the meeting was called. Blackfeather. He had heard mentions of it by the older members of the pack but never paid any real attention. Politics, to the boy, was placed low, low, low on his list of priorities, right down there with personal hygiene. The humourless tone of his mother's words, however, caused Lucca's usually sunny features to furrow in concern as he listened intently. She used a similar voice when he or his littermates had done something wrong, and so he knew this was Important. With a capital I.

The word Drageda passed over his head, as the boy had not interacted with many of their strange guests while they were in their territory, but his ears perked at the familiar names. He sought them out in the crowd as each wolf was named, grinning cheerfully at them despite the sombre situation. The grin faded as he processed Finley's next words. Away from the Caldera? He followed her gaze over to Raven and Lagan, and his frown deepened. "Wh—" he began, but quickly cut himself off as his father made sure everyone understood the plan. Lucca turned to stare at the ground between his paws frustratedly, mind buzzing with both questions and complaints. As much as he loved the dark medic and his older brother, he didn't want to go into the mountains. He wanted to stay here.

Towhee's sudden, overly loud shout only served to encourage him, and the boy looked to his parents with an excited spark in his eye. He was the biggest in the litter, and he had squashed millions of bugs. He could help! "I want to fight, too!" he announced loudly as his pleading gaze darted between them.

He almost didn't arrive to the meeting. The boy had half a mind to abandon the place when the call went up - certain that somehow it was about him, about Moonspear, and that his so-called family was going to chase him out. Or give him up. Or -- well, something. Screech had been hiding out in the woodland with Cassiopeia and it took some urging from her to make him leave; he really didn't want to go, but he did nonetheless, dragging his heels and worrying the entire way.

And when Titmouse arrived, he had missed half of what was said. Finley was rallying everyone together and giving instructions, and he slunk along the back of the gathering just as she mentioned, -- Titmouse, and Ben.. Elwood and I have discussed it and we want you to take the pups North and then East to find safety away from the Caldera. Wildfire, you will go with them too. He felt like an imposter for being here and hearing his name called made him flinch; he ducked and paused in his strides, then looked around to see if anyone had noticed - if any attention was on him. It seemed as if everyone was watching Finley, but Screech didn't relax one bit.

The boy glanced to Wifi, then to Raven, and then at the ground. He couldn't abandon the pack now, they'd given him some sort of important job to do! A quest, kind of. Where once this might've inspired the warrior-bound Titmouse, it merely sent the cowardly Screech in to an endless loop of thoughts; things that could go wrong, things he should say, things he'd rather do - thoughts of Cassiopeia, running away, fears of losing everyone in some manner or another.

Then - Let's kick their fucking asses! Towhee's voice. She rallied with them - the warrior he'd never become, with all the prowess and respect he'd always wanted for himself; he realized he wasn't jealous of her anymore in that moment, hardly envious of the situation she (and the others) had been put in. But he wasn't afraid for her - she was Towhee, she was the badass of the family, and she'd be fine.

Elwood's voice broke through the rest of the din and all eyes turned to him, except Screech had already made up his mind. He'd turned to the darkness and slipped away through it, away from the gathering and towards the dark forest to where he'd left Cassiopeia waiting.

Tags for visibility

Sebastian instantly came to the meeting with @Andalusia by his side. He didn't say anything as Finley started to explain about Black Feather and the impending war. The male's face hardened. It was expected that he would fight. He rather would stay with the children and look after the wounded but he wouldn't be ungrateful. He was already glad that Ben would be safe. Sebastian shot a glance at his boy @Ben and gave him a nod saying 'it-will-be-alright-son'.

He nodded with the rest of the group in agreement. Though he wasn't very vocal about it as the rest. It was his dutiful nature that made him go to this fight, though he would have preferred not to. "Yes," Sebastian confirmed when Elwood asked if they understood. Sebastian felt rather nervous. He would need to brush up on his fighting techniques. He would ask Elwood that later, in private. Perhaps he could give him some tricks.

Clover listened and, like Lucca, exclaimed her disappointment. She had no idea what was actually going on, but for a long time it felt like something was building. Annoyed that she would not be with her mother and father, Clover declared: I'm fighting, too!!! though Towhees voice drowned her words out. Clover surveyed the crowd and noted a wolf slinking away from the scene, but she thought nothing of it. Rather, Clover stood on all fours and made to follow him. She was young enough to not understand that this was wrong, to depart prior to dismissal–she looked to Lucca and whispered, lets follow him!!! Maybe he can teach us to fight!!! She believed maybe then they would be allowed to go with their family to the war.

Going to war was the last thing Shrike had expected, and the last thing Shrike wanted to do upon joining the Caldera. He felt bad about his decision, and wondered how nuch Allure resented him for it. They’d been briefed about the situation upon joining the pack, and Shrike assumed the war would be short-lived and with little cost- two packs versus one- there was no way they could lose, was there? 

Then again, as he looked around, he saw very few wolves he trusted by his side in battle merely because of their age. The pack was full of yearlings who likey never had to hunt extensively on their own, for survival, let alone battle another wolf. He hopef that this other pack, Drageda, would bring more seasoned warriors. 

He touched his nose to Allure’s cheek gently, almost apologetically. He had already made his mind up that he would not leave her side- and if things went south, he would herd her away from the battle completely and even though it would brand them as cowards, they’d at least get to live. He’d said nothing to her of this, as he did not want to cause a stir. Allure was his top priority-  and he wished she’d been chosen to go with the others watching the pups. 

One of the pups spoke up, wanting to fight, and Shrike frowned. Even the warcry by Towhee concerned him; how good would a deaf wolf be in battle? Doubt had already formed thick clouds in his mind about the pack’s capabilities, but he would go nonetheless- he would only leave if Allure requested it. 

Elwood asked for confirmation and he wordlessly nodded; he had nothing else to say, so he remained silent.

War was not what Whip expected to walk into after being away from home for so long. He assumed the Caldera would carry on without him in the way it always had; insular, with a clear line of seperation from the other local packs. But, things weren't as they used to be. For as much as Whip loved Elwood and Finley, both as godparents and family, they were not Redhawks. Competent leaders they may be, the legacy of this pack and family did not truly belong to them. 

So many had gathered to hear Finley speak. Whip scanned the faces of his compatriots and realized there were more strangers among them than those he remembered from the old days. Even his own siblings were unfamiliar to him. It was an unnerving feeling that followed, like he didn't belong here. Not anymore, or rather, not yet.

He did not recognize the names of the other packs. Drageda. Blackfeather. One was friend. The other, foe. Whip did not know the measure of the damage their northern neighbors had wrought, or for what reason besides wanton cruelty, but he could gleam enough from Finley to know that something should be done about Blackfeather. They sounded like monsters -- atavists. Like Ferret. Like Whip himself. To wipe them out would be a greater mercy.

Whip would kill them. Wanted to. Women. Children. The lot of them. He knew what he could do.

I've been planning to discontinue Phox for awhile (as y'all know). I think I like this "ending" better than PPCing him. Please keep me around until I've closed up my old threads. I'm assuming everybody's attention is on Finley, so I'd rather he go unnoticed. <3

Everybody seemed ready to fight. Every. Single. One. But not Phox. He felt his gut turn over and over again. He didn't want to watch others die. Not his friends and family, and not even those who had done wrong in their eyes. Nobody deserved death as punishment. Unlike his mother and unlike Towhee, he was a softie. He had sat back in the shadows, away from Towhee. They had grown distant since he had learned that she had killed. Had she done it more than once? She seemed eager to do it again, as did the rest of them.

Phox slunk further back, then further, quietly making his getaway. He didn't belong here. He may have been born here, but this was no place for him. By the time the others were done with their meeting, Phox would be far, far away from Redhawk Caldera and the Teekon Wilds as a whole.

lol I don't know why I thought I'd ever make it to round 2 by the 24th. This round will end in a few days - post at will!

Fin watched silently as her packmates responded to their marching orders. Some stepped forward with words of strength, others simply nodded their affirmation. There was a mixture of determination in reluctance heavy in the crowd, but it mattered little at this point how they felt. The wheels were in motion already; there was no stopping what was to come. They had to be ready for it, whether they wanted it or not.

She gave a wry glance to her kids who had begun to whine about being left behind, reaching to bop them each on their heads with her snout and growling low to shush them. She didn't notice their attention diverting to Titmouse as he crept away, instead shifting back to the crowd.

"Thank you all," Fin said, "I encourage everyone to prepare themselves for Drageda's arrival and for the fight to come. Work with each other. If you need practice at sparring, Elwood, Towhee and I are available to assist as well." She looked to her mate, anticipating that he may have more to say, and also simply wanting to gather strength from his encouragement.

tegan, unlike his siblings, was thrilled he wasn't going to fight. that sounded like a lot of work, and he was very content hanging around the territory with little adult supervision. i mean seriously, why didn't anyone else think about that? but then, of course, before he had too much time to think about all the havoc he could reek in the territory-- he heard his dear mother mention something about taking the pups up north. that certainly wasn't part of the plan. he let out a low groan of annoyance, couldn't they see this displeased him?? but finley merely shooshed him and continued on with her grand speech.

whatever. tegan continued to sit-- now looking rather displeased.

At her uncle's question, Towhee replied in the affirmative: -Yes.- She then turned to scan the rest of the crowd, assessing the others' reactions to their directives. Some looked as ready as she felt, others—like one of the newest additions, Shrike—looked perturbed. Her lips pursed as she stared at him, wondering what he thought of finding himself thrown into a war, when the pups caused a commotion that captured her attention. Unaware that Titmouse's departure had provoked it, Towhee was also unaware as another brother, Phox, quietly took off without looking back.

Finley wrangled the kids and Towhee's attention ultimately returned to her godmother as she spoke just a few more words. Towhee's brows lifted in surprise when the Alpha offered up her services as a trainer. Despite everything else going on, she couldn't help but wonder if she would soon be given the Beta rank she had been coveting for so long. The Alphas had been involving her more and more with big decisions, so Towhee felt it could only be a matter of time—perhaps after winning the war, or on her first birthday, whichever came first...

It seemed like that was it for announcements. Although her godparents hadn't formally pardoned them, Towhee felt free to stand up and move to a different location in the crowd now that she no longer needed to focus of all of her attention up front. Specifically, she wanted to find Phox to pick his brain about everything. But as her orange eyes swept the gathering, she realized he wasn't there. It slowly dawned on her that he wasn't the only one missing either. Where had Titmouse gone? Where was Gannet? She noted the other absences, though it was Phox's that unsettled her.

He's just off tracking, she told herself, picking her way back to her earlier spot and taking a seat. Towhee felt reassured by the thought and made a note to employ X's help to locate her litter mate as soon as the meeting came to a close.

For the most part, the response from the pack was positive -- or, well, as positive as was to be expected in this situation. There was at least no one who spoke up openly in opposition. The only commotion was raised by the Blackthorn children, two of whom expressed their desire to participate in the war alongside the adults. Finley was quick to dissuade them with a physical reprimand, and at some point during this transaction, while Elwood's gaze was on his offspring, Phox and Titmouse slipped away unnoticed.

When he looked back out over the crowd, wolves were nodding and wordlessly expressing their agreement. It made him feel better to see the support from his family and packmates. He bobbed his head as Finley urged everyone to brush up on their sparring skills and to seek assistance from the Alphas or Towhee if necessary.

Before everyone dispersed, he said, "I believe in us. With Drageda's help, we'll be able to bring Blackfeather to justice and ensure our own safety here for years to come. Once the commander and her wolves arrive, be ready to move. We'll formulate a plan and pass on any information you'll need." His yellow eyes scanned over the group once more, then he lowered his chin slightly to signify that he had spoken his piece, unless there were questions.

Her mouth felt dry as they were beckoned to a pack meeting so soon after their joining. Elwood had been open to them upon their joining, but now, as her shoulder pressed gingerly against Shrike and she could feel the sting of her scars, the reality of what they would face weighed heavily on her. This was not the fresh start she had anticipated, and while she remained grateful to Elwood, she was being requested to lay her life down for wolves she didn’t even know.

It made her feel nauseous – and cowardly.

The only reason she had not tried to lure Shrike away from this decision was that she could not dishonour him that way. He was perhaps the most steadfast wolf she knew – how could she take that from him? She could only hope that with another pack assisting them, this war that was thrust upon the pair would end within their favour. And that the life they had truly wanted would await them on the other side.

She was silent, her diminutive form pressed in to the comforting warmth of her mate, her eyes drifting among the unfamiliar faces before her.

Quixote had been heading to the nearby mesa to try to get a view of where the fighting might take place.  He'd made several trips like this, doing his best to try to get the lay of the still-unfamiliar land, to add them to the scrawled maps he'd made in one of the least-used caves he'd found.  It had taken him away for days at a time, but each time he returned, occasionally with the odd small prey item to add to the stores to account for his absence.

All the scouting about hadn't made him the most social of wolves -- and since he was trying to do most of his wandering around on the sly, hopefully without too much of a pack scent on his fur, he'd actively avoided being too chummy to start aside from some backdated threads yet to be written.  His luck would break at some point, but for now he'd been lucky.

Perhaps that's what this was.  A break in his luck.  He was at the edge of hearing when the howl had gone up, and for the briefest of moments he thought that he'd been dreaming.  The faint echoes tugged at him.  That was real, right? From the packlands.  The snow on the ground wasn't going to make his trip back as quick as it would if this were summer, but whatever.

Quixote would be late.  And likely not fashionably due to the speed he sprinted back towards the Caldera.

By the time he arrived he'd missed the more important stuff, Finley was speaking a second time.  He kept towards the edge of the group, chest heaving, but if someone looked his way, he'd mouth, 'Scouting,' and leave it at that unless addressed directly.  Give him a bit to get his bearings, but from the sounds of this, things were moving along at a good clip.  He was almost wishing he'd stayed out of it.  He'd prefer more time.  More time to plan, to make sure everything would be right.

Damn it all! Stopped by her mother, Clover huffed and decided to instead turn toward Lucca and launch at him. Their parents were talking about war, which Clover had already decided she would participate in; and who better to serve as her opponent than Lucca? C'mon!!!! FIGHT ME, she declared as she launched in the air, an impish grin on her features.

Last round! Thanks all :) We can archive in a few days <3

Finley looked around at her pack, feeling a twinge of pride over the faces she saw. Not all were enthusiastic, and a couple were just downright reluctant. But no one was refusing, or arguing. In fact, the only arguments about the plan came from her own little wildlings, who were upset that they weren't going to get to go. She smiled at them in spite of herself, warmed at the sight of them. They were why she was doing this. Any doubts or fears she had, she could dismiss them all so long as she remembered their little faces. Finley would battle the whole of the Wilds to keep them safe.

Meanwhile, they would apparently be content battling each other. Fin quirked a brow as Clover shouted a challenge at Lucca. She shook her head a moment later and looked back to her wolves. "If there's nothing else..." she said, glancing at Elwood before turning back to dismiss them with a nod. Her eyes sought Lagan and Raven whom she moved towards shortly with the intention of further discussing their role in this. Now was as good a time as any, especially with the wildlings wrapped up in wailing on each other like good little puppies.

The briefing was just that: brief. When Finley formally pardoned them with a nod, Towhee flashed her godparents a quick smile and then took to her feet once more. She had every intention of departing immediately to locate X to dispatch him in search of her brother. How could he miss something this important? she found herself wondering, frowning thoughtfully. Before she could pursue that train of thought much further, she spotted someone whose face distracted her.

"Coyote!" she called above the general hubbub of the exiting wolves, unaware that her voice was about five times louder than necessary. "Hey, could I talk to you?" Towhee said at a slightly more normal level, closing the gap. "I'd just like to pick your brain a bit about what's going to happen, if that's okay." She barely waited two seconds for a response before motioning for him to follow as she led the way somewhere more private. She would have a relatively quick chat with him, then move on to finding her two favorite sidekicks.

This is my last post, so you're welcome to PP the conversation (if they have one), @Quixote. :)

His ears flicked -- loud and wrong.  Though admittedly they hadn't crossed paths so he could fix Towhee's pronunciation, It's 'Key--' hell, you know what, deal with it later.  She was already starting to turn away. And honestly, it didn't matter too much as long as he knew he was being spoken to.  He followed.

Since he'd been gone so much wandering around trying to find the best approach, Quixote wanted to make sure to do a bit of an info dump in case he was gone when some tactics were discussed.  Speaking to Towhee was thus a good thing, as she certainly was more gung-ho about the whole thing than some of the others, just judging by expressions.  If Towhee thought he had a valid point, certainly she'd make sure it reached the right people... Right?

His rambling would, without interruptions, would be summarized like this: I mean, do you think they know we're coming soon?  If they're watching the side closer to us, it may be better to cross the mesa or whatever that's near them.  Then we could come in from the south instead of the western side of things.  The only problem is that I think it may be kind of swampy more to the southeast -- snow's covering a lot of it now so I can't tell for sure, but if it's frozen solid it might not be a bad entry point, as long as we don't get stuck in freezing mud.  It's also double the distance than a straight line, so may effect when we leave.  Comparatively, I think the north side of their lands has more wolves traversing it in general, so south probably has less of a chance of running into one of them while we're still in transit, but that's also an option.  Obviously he'd clarify anything  as he went along, even scrawling a stick-figure level map if needed, but it was clear he definitely had a preference for an approach from the south or southeast via the mesa over other possible routes.

He'd also note that he had several plans for defense should some of the Blackfeathers survive and seek revenge at a later date.  Hopefully that wouldn't be an issue.  Though that did bring up a frightening question which he kept to himself, even if it did send a slight bristle down his spine -- how many would die?

Before the meeting was concluded, a latecomer slipped onto the scene, lingering near the back of the group. Elwood recognized Quixote, and while he felt minor concern with the tactician's tardiness, he was assured by the mouthed explanation he received when he looked in his direction. He nodded, hoping that Quixote would prove to be as valuable an asset as he had originally seemed.

There was no further conversation from anyone, save for the sudden wrestling match that Clover sprung on Lucca. With that, Finley dismissed the pack. "Thank you," Elwood called out over the crowd as wolves began to disperse. He moved to follow Finley to intercept Raven and Lagan, and as he did, he saw Towhee and Quixote talking in earnest as they walked away. Good, he thought approvingly even as he turned to begin to explain the instructions to Lagan and Raven.

The meeting was brief- it seemed that most had already been informed, or were quick to accept what was happening. Shrike's eyes roved about the group, and he was still uncertain going to war with a pack of inexperienced wolves was a good idea. As long as the wolves from Drageda were more fit for fighting...But he still had his doubts. Allure was pressed against his side, and he kept his muzzle near hers, and gave her a gentle nudge once the meeting concluded. 

He ran his muzzle over the top of her head silently, and without a word, stood to walk away, moving once she was by his side. He questioned himself, then; if this had been a good idea or not. They could have gone elsewhere and simply returned, perhaps, once this war was over...Or they simply could have started elsewhere, with another pack, or on their own. He dreaded the thought of anything happening to her, and silently, as they moved away, he began to reconsider his options. Nothing was worth losing Allure.