Redsand Canyon fenestra

Kallik responded promptly to the call, taking a seat near Towhee but greeting no one. He was on edge; As their pups grew within Aquene, so did her vulnerability. Now the added drama of Diesel and whatever crap she had just brought to their doorstep caused more anxiety—he was surprised he had the capacity for more since he felt pretty maxed out already. But anxiety always finds a way. 

The imperator called them to here to decide her fate, it seemed, as well as to weigh in on whether or not they should move on the Saints now that they knew where they were. 

He wanted to kick Diesel out on her ass right now. He was having a hard time not being angry that she had left Mereo during her season instead of trusting them to keep her safe. He agreed with the imperator that she was a deserter. If we are going to kick her out to deliver her children, then why allow her to stay until then? he asked. She will just be using our resources when soon she will not be able to contribute. If she had been a loyal member of Mereo, then he would happily pick up her slack while she was indisposed, but she was a deserter. He found it difficult to have sympathy for her. 

The decision to move on the Saints was a little more difficult for him. His gut said that they should; they had the element of surprise and the advantage of trained soldiers. But leaving now would leave the civilians without their protection. That meant his wife, the matrona, and Towhee would be here, pregnant, without their most experienced soldiers. Aquene's psychopathic ex was still at large, and leaving her here to go to war made him feel like the punishment boulder was sitting on his chest. They were soldiers, though; this was their purpose, and allowing his fear for his wife to make this decision for him felt wrong. 

We have the element of surprise if we act now, the scutarius pointed out, sharing his earlier thought with the group. Without knowing how many wolves they have been able to gather, I feel like it is an advantage we should consider carefully. Tension found its way into the muscles of his jaw. I think we should take care of them now and be done with it. Then they could return home with the knowledge that the Saints could no longer terrorize anyone.