Haunted Wood What does she think she's doing?!

Backdated to take place the day after this thread. @Vengeance

Black Hat found the ash that now fell like tainted snow in the Haunt somewhat disturbing, especially with his knowledge of just how far the source was thanks to he and Tzila's travels. It was really starting to look like the beginning of The End as more and more disasters struck. The earthquakes themselves were tolerable, but this? This was foreboding, and he didn't like it one bit — fitting as the aesthetic was for these woods.

Apocalypse or not, time still marched on, and he had duties to attend to. He'd dawdled long enough. Though Vengeance likely wasn't too rattled over Radar's disappearance, he felt it was smartest to report the happening formally versus waiting to see if the Warlord would approach him about it himself or not. The whole situation already gave the man reason to distrust him, best not dig his hole any deeper.

He followed Vengeance's trail to his absolutely rancid den and entered with reluctance. How could he stand to live in such filth?! There was decaying matter everywhere! Blood splatters, bones, the occasional tuft of fur... Black Hat bit back his remarks, opting to stick near the entrance where at least there was somewhat of a draft. Vengeance... do you have a minute? He asked, courteous as ever. Heinous as they both were, the pair couldn't differ much more in every other regard.

In the back of his den he slumbered. The shadows enveloping his monumental frame as he half slumbered for a rest before heading out for a quick patrol once the night fell. The ash still fell from the heavens, and he only knew what little Alison was able to provide. Perhaps he would leave the borders of the woods and into the wilderness that he and Hydra shared in order to scout out the lands himself - to aid the others in the quest for knowledge in between their reporting back to him.

The sound of paws hitting the ground made his ears twist into the direction of the mouth of the cave, he couldn't tell who they were from the sound of it - but their voice, Black Hat's voice was easily distinguishable once the voice echoed into his audits. 

Within the darkness fo the cave his eyes lit, catching the glimmer of light from the entrance as he eyed the figure that stood at the mouth. What do you want? he didn't rise to meet the gangly man outside the den, but instead chose to remain where he was and only let the two orbs floating in the darkness be the source of where he was located within the obscurity.

Apparently, he'd prodded the sleeping beast. Too bad for him though, because he had much to tell. To catch you up on the news. There's a lot of it. He sat down for the long haul. Getting the worst out of the way, he started with, Firstly... Radar has fled. We don't know where or precisely when. Black Hat left it at that, for he knew if he were in Vengeance's position, he wouldn't care to hear what his thoughts on the matter were.

But that's the only subpar news. On Tzila and I's outing, we went to Neverwinter Forest, which is two days' travel north from us. We agreed on a two-month trial period before dipping into a full-blown alliance. Leader was a paranoid boy... He trailed off, deciding to keep his opinions on Mal to himself unless they were asked of him.

Moving on, So, we decided to extend our trip. We visited Elysium to discover it is no more. Additionally, the source of this ash is a volcano quite a ways east from there. Black Hat sifted through the files of his mind to make sure he'd covered everything. Deciding he had, he sat quietly to hear the Warlord's response to all of this.

I'm aware. Within the darkness, his eyes glared. Brows furrowing as his voice boomed from within. She was Black Hat's ward, after all, his to look after. He had vouched for the ashen woman and had let her not only be useless but let her escape none the less without any effort. Without a fight. 

 Who are you to make any decision of allying with another! He snapped almost immediately, teeth snapping with his words as froth poured from the corners of his lips. A growl rolling from his lips as he took a moment to soak in on what was happening. Black Hat had already overstepped certain boundaries with Alison, and now with the Warlord himself when it came to pack decisions? How many are there, who is their leader?

When it came to the discovery of the source of the ash, and on Elysium, Vengeance remained silent. He had nothing to add to the conversation other than to log it away into his memory and inform Alison later on the location of the volcano itself. She was more knowledgeable about such things after all.

He expected more backlash over Radar than the alliance, honestly. But that only went to show how much Black Hat struggled to accept the role of subordinate. The general was cold towards him at best. He didn't know what he did for her to dislike him so much already but wasn't overly concerned about it. Vengeance, however... Vengeance was someone he did not want to cross.

He cleared his throat to help keep his composure in spite of his racing heart. A seasoned advisor, former member of a high council and leader, He retaliated firmly. It took all of his self-restraint to keep himself from yelling in turn. He leaned forwards from his seat but did not stand. Normally, he wouldn't bother biting back his anger, but Black Hat knew how foolish that would be in this situation. He needed to soften the blow of his mistake, not drive the final nail into his coffin.

Black Hat sighed before he spoke again. I will admit, sometimes I forget things are different here and now. I'm near the bottom of the pecking order, which is difficult for me to accept. But I know what I'm doing; you will see that for yourself, I assure you. Still, this is your pack, not mine. All diplomacy is ultimately your decision, I shan't forget that in the future. His voice was softer now. It pained him to set his pride aside, especially with his experience in this field. But he was no longer top dog; not here, not anywhere. That was the hardest pill for him to swallow, but his superiors were making sure to shove it down his throat.

The warlord's tone demanded answers to his questions, and Black Hat obliged. No need to fret, they couldn't pose a threat if they tried. The leader is a yearling named Mal, and they're a band trying to form a pack. I don't have an exact head count, but Neverwinter's numbers are few from the weak scents I found there. He knew Vengeance wouldn't be impressed, so he preemptively added, If they end up getting in the way, we can easily squash them.

A grunt here! (well, since this is before the promotion to Soldier lol) he barked, shoulders rolling under a carpet of thick flesh as he threatened to stand up, instead, he was poised to move. Toes spreading across the rocky dirt beneath him as a growl continued to rise higher and higher in his throat. Clearly unimpressed by the gangly man's answers. But as Black hat continued, he allowed himself to thud back onto the ground. A cloud of dust rising from under his presence. For your sake, you don't.

Mal was their leader, Vengeance quickly memorized their location, their leader's name, assumed age just as fast as Black Hat was divulging the information. I will visit them at my earliest convenience. Is that all? Though he had calmed a bit since just mere moments ago, his tone was still rather unamused and agitated with the man at the mouth of his den. Should he have not stepped on the Warlord's toes and decisions with inter-pack relations, perhaps this could have ended better...