Blackfeather Woods take it in your heart now

given the okay to skip Potema

The woman went on to speak, sharing information pertaining to the war that they would have otherwise gone on not knowing. But she knew, let in on the secrets by a traitor of the coastal pack, and shared it with them. Although Kove listened closely to all that she had to say, paying particularly close attention to her proposal, he knew not what to think—not yet. It seemed too good to be true, her being there and offering them another option, but he couldn’t say that he wasn’t intrigued. It was a safe option, taking their members away from the frontlines and allowing them to attack with stealth, as the Brotherhood was known for. Yet, at the same time, leaving the woods—even for a set amount of time—meant leaving so much behind, leaving so much open to being ruined and disgraced.

His conclusion was barely formed when the attention was turned to him, his thoughts requested along with Potema’s. “I can see the benefits to following her,” he began, directing his words towards Vaati whilst stealing a glance or two in the chimera’s direction. “We would have forces on our side far stronger than what they left behind on the coast, but those are not our only enemies. The pack to the south is also out for our blood and we can’t forget about them. If we focus only on the coastal wolves, that leaves us without a plan to take care of our neighbours.” And they would need to do something about them eventually, as they would always return to the woods. No matter how long they spent away, if they were to leave, the shadows would always drag them back in; they were inescapable, and they were home.

“We have a lot to protect here, sacred sites that we can’t let our enemies destroy. We have to defend our home.”—he looked towards Potema briefly, knowing she would understand—“I think we stand to defend ourselves against our enemies, should they come here. They do not know this land, the tricks and threats that it hides—they will be entirely out of their element.” The swamps, the tunnels, the willow… they had not only wolves on their side, but the territory itself. “I say we stand our ground here and then, as they’re all retreating to the caldera to lick their wounds, follow you”—he swung his muzzle towards Caiaphas—“back to the coast and take out the rest of their members.” However tempting it was to go with her right then, he couldn’t leave the woods defenseless. He couldn’t leave Meldresi defenseless.