There had been a howl a few days prior, but it had not come from the creek wolves. The sound had carried on above them, ringing out from the mountainside and telling the wolves of the plains that the peak had been claimed; this was not a wise move by Jace, but it had been done. The claim of the mountain told Njal all he needed: that these wolves which once had been family were now showing their true colors. It would not go unnoticed or unchallenged—in fact, the warden had assumed the role of a raid leader in the following days. Using what limited knowledge he had of the mountain, Njal had begun to plot an ascent so that a band of their warriors could enter the territory without too much notice. They would simply observe at first. Count their numbers, identify who followed them, and return home; however, there was always the chance of being noticed. A large enough battalion of warriors would not go wholly unnoticed. This thought is what made Njal reconsider and restructure the plan.
With Fox's go-ahead, he assembled the warning party. It would have been faster to howl for each of them, to summon them together, but that would also remove any element of surprise that Jace would hold. The Sunspire wolves would have heard the howl, just as Njal had heard the song of their claim; so, the warden wandered the riverside in search of individuals. @Scimitar first, for it was the first face that Njal recognized in his initial search. He thought of Bazi next, but decided not to take the other Beta along—as valuable as she was, someone had to stay behind and protect the pack. He then encountered a newer recruit named @Danica, and after briefly speaking with her about Fox's orders, she too was added to their numbers. The last wolf to their band of raiders was an afterthought, at least for Njal. @Cutthroat had proven to hold little information about Bones and had been reduced to a slave among them, one that the Russian had little time or patience for. He could not be trusted in those initial days since his capture, but it seemed as if he had assimilated; so it was the swarthy pirate that he finally sought out.
When they were all together, Njal silently escorted them to the base of Mount Apikuni. They still had to navigate around the mountain's base, but once they fell in to the shadow between the two points, Njal stopped. He gave a brief look around before calling the others close.
Alright. The plan is a simple one: we go up the mountain, scout out their lands, and return. We should be able to make it up without a problem, but there is always the chance that their numbers are higher than we know,
His voice was low and tumultuous in its rumble, scratching the air as he tried to speak covertly, We are not to separate. If you find yourself on your own or away from the group for too long, double back. We are doing this to show them our strength but also to gather information.
The Beta's golden gaze flicked from wolf to wolf, lingering for short periods on each of them as if to impress this knowledge upon them. Finally, he ended with, If you find caches or anything that can be tampered with, tamper with it. The harder we make it for them to truly settle in here, the better for us.
Fox wanted a show of strength, and that was what she would receive.
Dismissed.
Njal muttered, his tone still low but far more commanding. The shadows rolled out before them, and would provide ample cover for each of them. With adrenaline suddenly lifting his spirits, Njal began to hike up the mountain. With their senses on high alert, he doubted that his pack-mates would fail in this endeavor. They were well trained and loyal subjects, each ascribed to the continued superiority of Swiftcurrent—Jace could not say the same for his budding assemblage of strangers.