Blackfeather Woods and i've got a strong urge to fly

Leadership meeting for @Tundra and @Jakoul. Important -- please try to jump in here within the next few days so we can keep it moving! Other tags for reference only.

The state of Blackfeather Woods was not as well as it ought to be. Their adult numbers had dwindled while the youth ranks remained steady; with many tiny mouths to feed and not enough hunters to do it, a crisis loomed. The raccoon raid had also done a number on their caches. Several faces Maegi had thought trustworthy had faded away.

They had sat idly by for too long. Now was a time to act, before the woods slipped from their grasp altogether.

She settled herself within the Redgrove, in the heart of the forest, Blue on her shoulder and the ravens above. She'd asked @Moonshadow to keep close to Parvati's brood with her own children; Maegi hated to leave them alone in the witch's care for even a second. Still, this was important. She lifted her nose to call for her fellow leaders—and it was strange.

Wasn't it supposed to be Ramsay and Mou, the wolves closest to her heart, leading by her side? It really illustrated, to the already suspicious-minded Maegi, that you couldn't trust anyone to stick around. Not a single soul.

partially vague about her well-being after raccoon incident

Salmon tongue had been cleaning a few small scratches when Nona summoned a call for the leaders. She was not used to being summoned so often lately but each call seemed important and so she'd never delay her arrival. Her sore legs carried her towards the heart of the territory as she kept her silver gaze prepared to catch the sight of Maegi.

When she did finally manage to spot their Nona, a soft boof escaped her to announce her arrival as she slowed her pace. She thought little of the fact that she had arrived before their Decima. Jakoul had no doubt that they would be here soon enough. Opting to not dwell on it, she moved to settle in near Maegi's side as they awaited their final leader.

sorry for keeping you's waiting and the rlly crappy post.

dark eyes remain shadowed in the absence of light provided by the thick layer above as the ghost shifts direction at the familiar call to echo forth- resulting in nothing more than the woman's movement and a few annoyed caws from above. it's a good sound to hear again, maegi had been missed by the the woods, it was strange but she could feel it. not because of gods or any of that weird stuff, no the woods themself just had a way of letting you know how it was feeling. not a chance could she even begin to explain it but she didn't need to, all that mattered was that it was there.

she's already delving deeper into the thick trees but her path comes from the borders and so it takes a while before she can slow her run to a trot and then finally a slower walk as her packmates come into view. maegi and ah yes, she'd almost forgotten, jakoul. she hadn't seen ramsay recently but his stepping down troubled her, he'd been a level headed, practical wolf- a wolf born to lead if she'd ever seen one. she could not help but worry that the woods would suffer without him. but no, maybe not. maegi and jakoul were smart and capable and perhaps she could really do with a little less doubting herself, she'd been picked for a reason after all.

and on that subject...she couldn't help but feel a little peeved that maegi hadn't bothered to say a single thing to her about promoting the dark woman. it wasn't that tundra had an issue with jakoul being picked, on the contrary she couldn't imagine anyone better for the job. she liked the shadow's presence and either way she would've trusted her nona's judgement. it's just, well call her petty but she would've liked to be involved in the decision somewhat. nevertheless such emotions don't rise to the surface of doll like eyes and she settles wordlessly by the others. there's much more important things to focus on now anyway than her own selfish misgivings, such as the threat of the melonii- something that was hard to forget with the troublesome cut on her chest. somehow despite the injury flicker had inflicted on her being pretty shallow, it still refused to heal properly and left the fur parted to reveal the mark across her chest. maybe it was on purpose, a self reminder to not forget the imminent threat. which led to the next issue, the dwindling numbers of wolves actually fit to protect her woods.

for now though, she waits. after dispatching a quick nodded greeting, expectant eyes fall on maegi to await her words.

Maegi didn't know Tundra was peeved at her for promoting Jakoul; she hadn't even thought of it. It was a decision that had been done in such haste, such need, that she had just. . .done it, and consequences be damned. Luckily, whatever tension there was beneath the surface (for now) and Maegi could focus on business.

Our numbers are too low, she said without preamble, voice cold. There's no way we can continue to feed the pups enough, especially as they grow. My brother is gone, and others are scarce. It's time to take action.

She casts her eyes between the two other leaders, contemplating for a short moment before speaking again. I need one of you to go out and recruit, right away. Since Tundra went out last time gathering information on my uncle, I think it should be Jakoul that travels this time. Can we agree on this?

The Melonii thought it was an easy enough request, should pride not get in the way. It wasn't that she didn't trust Tundra to get the job done; she needed the woman here to help lead and support. They needed all other adult bodies to remain behind, to feed the children.

Jakoul's player PMed me asking if she could go out scouting -- Tundra can go out, too, but I think Maegi would prefer one of them to remain behind!

small post from me but she doesn't have much to say about things x:

Pride was not plenty in Jakoul and so her decision making did not stem from that when she nodded her head in agreement. It was out of duty and the pure rightness of it that she agreed.

While with the adjustment of things, she loathed to leave home — perhaps out of a fear of what she might return to when her trip was done — she was not horrified of going out into the world to scavenge loners for them. She had happily vouched and praised Blackfeather before with a few little successes in encounters.

And so she would do it again, just better this time.

it is with both relief and sad regret that she regards the woman as she utters the words that had plagued tundra's own mind for weeks prior. she is definitely glad to know she's not alone with her worries, not that it was ever really a possible issue with how dire the situation had gotten. but all the same it isn't the nicest sentence to hear, the monotone voice that delivered the message so coldly made it seem all the more real. blackfeather was struggling, if this continued their whole future was at stake. she swallows uneasily. 

there's a few moments of silence then where all she can do is meet maegi's bi-coloured gaze and hold it steadily, offering silent support for she knows there's more to come and sure enough the young woman delivers. it's a good idea definitely and the ghostly woman definitely has no qualms with jakoul being the one for the job which she expresses with a simple nod. she hasn't had a chance to properly talk to maegi in quite a while and she wonders then at how much did ramsay tell her about the melonii situation? she hadn't been well enough to meet her at the borders and with the former leader's stepping down she didn't know how much had been discussed. did she know about flicker? this also reminds her of something else- something much more relevant to their current situation. 

"i'm not sure if ramsay got the chance to mention it to you but...after i returned from the melonii thing i was feeling more concerned about their looming threat. since they'd set up camp close by it could only mean they planned on attacking again and as you've said, our defences aren't at their best...anyway i suggested seeking alliances with nearby packs, i know it's not very blackfeather-esque but this is the new us and he seemed to agree" it's spoken softly but not without urgency and as she trails off the look she focuses on the other's is a questioning one, aimed especially at maegi. for in the end they would trust her word, whether it was the smart idea or not.

a moment later she simply adds quietly; "i don't mind going, i had been thinking of taking jakoul with me since you've seemed busy but you could come either or i can go alone i don't really mind, that is if you plan to agree" that's where she leaves it then, dark eyes not once leaving the young wolf and although they seem as hollow as ever within her stomach churns uneasily. it's nothing the pack would've done before but she felt they needed it more than ever, all she could do is hope that maegi would see it the same way. see that she did not always have to face things alone. she needed to trust. and what an ironic thing for her to think considering that she'd never trusted another wolf in her entire life, but perhaps things did change after all. not all scars, even mental ones, were truly permanent.

They both seemed to be in agreement, which put her mind at ease, somewhat. Maegi didn't want to have to deal with anything drawn out today. As much as she enjoyed leading the forest, the internal conflicts that could ensue were not her thing. Ramsay had always been better at that. Alas. . .

Her ears cupped forward with interest as Tundra spoke, a small growl bubbling in her throat as the woman mentioned the nearness of her uncle's pack. Yes, alliances would be beneficial. Maegi wasn't opposed to that in the least. But which packs to seek out?

You and Jakoul can seek new members and alliances together, she said, nodding. I will stay and manage things here. But if the Melonii give you trouble—or someone else does—come home right away. We can't afford to have something terrible happen, especially not now. Losing the two women by some stroke of ill luck would be a catastrophe.

apologies for holding this up!

It was not that Jakoul was disinterested but her language skills were not as vast (or fast, for that matter) as her co-leads. Tundra spoke with a swift fluent-ness that the newly crowned Morta could only grasp keywords from.

Threat. Attack. Defenses. Alliances.

Silence settled within the group of reigning woman before something was spoken from the Decima again. Jakoul did not bother adding words to the growing conversation. Her skull merely tipped towards the earth to offer a nod of understanding. The company would be helpful on a trip that likely required more flourished conversations.

Her eyes roamed — an undeniable fondness in her gaze — to look towards their Nona as she gave the last verdict on the suggestions that had been provided. Trouble was to be avoided, an easy enough task at the end of the day. Or so she hoped.

Silent she still remained having not found a thing to fuss with.