Blacktail Deer Plateau This is what I thought so think me naïve

Ok so I'm not sure how my thread with Koda is gonna go so with Kesuk this might break timeline, augh.  If it does we can just pretend it doesnt? :D

Prelude 12/21 — AFI

The silver alpha had halved his patrols and doubled his hunting in recent days, walking the borders shortly only every other day and some days devoting the entirety to tracking down prey.  He was determined to catch enough for not only himself, but Osprey as well, and still be able to provide some for others who could not like Blue and her children.  The need to store was disappearing as the weather warmed, though, thank goodness.  He did not mind it, though.  It was something, perhaps the only thing, that he knew how to do to help.  This and provide comfort through his presence at night.

He needed something done, though, and for it to be accomplished he needed to call one of his outriders.  There was no way he was going himself, for he wouldn't deprive Osprey of what little help he could give.  And he felt good, being able to give an official task to one of the wolves who had worked so hard to earn their title.  He didn't take advantage of them often enough.  Lifting his muzzle, he sent out a call to any who could respond, a clear request to @Mordecai , @Finn , or @Kesuk to come.  They would need to travel, and he wasn't sure if Mordecai would wish to whilst Harlyn was still settling in.  He hadn't seen Finn in a while either, though, and while he had wondered, he assumed that he was simply busy.  Now that he thought on it, though, he wondered.  Perhaps he would come to the call.

Mordecai had been foraging. Not so much in the way of food than it had been to help Harlyn continue to gather the moss that she had been seeking. It was a quiet day, one that had lulled him into a state of tranquility easily; yet another feeling that had came and went over the last stretch of weeks. Leaves were turning up at the tips of trees, though their inevitable bloom had yet to unfold fully. It would be soon he thought, along with the eventual return of flora and additional fauna yet to awake from their long and equally quiet winter.

So when Dante's call emerged from the depths of the quiet territory, Mordecai had little qualms over his task being interrupted. He wasn't the only one the call had been lifted for, but he broke for the direction of the gray alpha without second thought. The moss he had been gathering was left behind, stored safely in the undergrowth until his return.

When he spied out Dante a few minutes later, Mordecai offered him a warm bark to announce his own arrival. With the easy wave of his tail behind him, he closed in that distance steadily, and gave his friend a firm bump against his shoulder. Curious as to why he among others had been brought together, he withheld any questions for he was certain the reason would br brought to light soon.

if you want this to get to 10 we can probably make it but I'm ok with short ^^ up to you since it could technically be a trade thread
Anyone else is welcome to jump in!  just want to get this moving since it is somewhat important

None but Mordecai came initially, and though he would like to have waited, he wanted this message delivered as soon as possible.  Hopefully he was healed enough to do the job, and Harlyn was settled in enough that he would be willing.  Dante himself going really wasn't an option right now.

He gave Mordecai a distracted smile, but the warmth of his tail wave and return bump was firm.  He just had a lot on his mind right now.  "Hey.  I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor.  I need someone to go to the Caldera and tell Peregrine that he is welcome to come visit should he so choose now.  With Osprey as she is, and Saena gone, there's really no reason to keep him away and all the reason to allow him to come.  Escorted, of course.  Think you'd be up for it?"  It was an important missive to give, but he had little doubts that it would be handled well.

I'm fine with whatever you'd like to do! I rambled; Mordecai really is out of the loop on things and I have no idea how much of the history of things Dante would have told him about in regards to RHC/BDP.

Distracted was certainly something new in Dante's reptoire. Mordecai spotted this easily, though there was little effort in finding it. And it wasn't just for some random social call that he had tried to band a few of the wolves together for — purpose had writ itself plainly in the gaze he met briefly. Though the silence that lingered between them was brief, no others showed up much to Mordecai's surprise. The absenteeism of some of the wolves of the Plateau apparently did not occur just with him, though he hardly thought himself as a wolf in any particular position.

And when the notion that they would be alone came to light, he listened as Dante called upon him for a favor. It was a favor that Mordecai had no intentions to trying to cash in either; it was all apart of paying the debt he felt owed. Dante wanted this of him and thus, Mordecai would ensure it was done. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile momentarily. "I'm pretty certain I am. It would be good to go for the stretch," though in reality, the Caldera was more than just a stretch's length. "The Caldera's south of the end of these mountains isn't it? I remember being told about it when I was at the Spine." And he had made plans to have scouts go there, though he had no way of knowing whether or not Cara had ever continued out that task after he had left.

Of course, there was also the interesting note of Saena and Osprey. He was unaware that the former had left them, much in the way he was unaware of many things about her. Their time together had been brief and in turn, he thought of it sparingly. Osprey, on the other hand, he knew more about. Her curious condition was a no brainer and largely he felt indifferent about what it meant. All he had heard were things in passing and in turn, the storytelling she-wolf had retired to seclusion. In fact and in spite of how long the last few weeks had been, Mordecai honestly had done a fair job of keeping himself out of the loop. Not intentionally, but his ranging and scouting had kept him out of the affairs that bubbled up now.

good deal :)

He should have known that he could depend on Mordecai to take the job. "You're correct.  It is a ways beyond.  You may need to pass Blackfeather, but I'm sure I don't need to warn you to give them a wide berth." He was, after all, the source of the warning. Hopefully he wouldn't run into any trouble. "If you like you could always take someone with."

Others, like himself, likely liked to travel alone but it was never a bad idea to have some backup. Even the most seasoned outriders could easily stumble into a situation beyond their ken. He was sure Mordecai was an able traveler, though, who could handle much himself.

A faint smile scrawled across his face at the mention of avoiding Blackfeather Woods altogether. Mordecai would most definitely not have an issue there; mentally he was already preparing a route that would allow him to give it a generous berth. More than likely, skirting the Spine would be the wisest option available to him — he did not anticipate that Cara would give him any trouble for passing by.

"Perhaps I'll see if Harlyn would like to come along," he mentioned, wondering if she would be inclined to join him. Perhaps she too would want to avoid the scenery of their old stomping grounds, but she had not spent much time apart from him in recent days. "But either way I'll be sure to head off soon to make sure that your message is delivered." He wouldn't dawdle on the fact that it was something important and needed to be passed along, though it would get there truthfully whenever it would get there.

"Is there anything else I should pass along?"

Dante was pleased when Mordecai said he would ask Harlyn, glad that he may not be traveling alone.  Some of his worry could fall away then.  He shook his head. "I don't have any other messages; I appreciate it, Mordecai.  I think that him, being able to visit... It will help."  Though he hadn't really seen it in action, he knew they Osprey shared a close bond with her brother from previous conversations.  Not only would she likely appreciate the company, but hopefully Peregrine would be grateful for the gesture as well.

Wanna stretch this out a few more posts to get it to 10? We're closer than I thought!

Mordecai couldn't have said a lot about what had gone on with the Plateau and what was now the Caldera. And he certainly didn't know what to think about Osprey's situation either — it just didn't seem like his place to pass judgement, even in light of whatever social construct of law they may have had. Her pregnancy would bring them extra mouths to feed and this was true, that was a heavy weight upon them. But that was where his thoughts ended, as truth be told Mordecai found he had been more self-centered in his own interests recently than what was going on around him.

"I hope so," was all he could say as a sigh came from him contendedly. "What about the Caldera itself? Anything I should know about them, or Peregrine? I don't think I've even met anyone from there, to be honest." Reality check, he had, he just didn't remember it and at the time, she was apart of the Plateau. They hadn't even exchanged names. But after what had happened with Blackfeather Woods, Mordecai figured it was worth investigating all the same.

you can fade next post for 10? :)

"Nothing aside from keep your distance.  Definitely give a call rather than coming even close to trespassing.  But that's common sense.". Neither Peregrine nor Fox were the type to accept even an appearance of trespassing without a fight and Dante doubted they would stop to figure out what pack he came from first. A realization of misunderstanding later would hardly help.

"Thanks a lot for doing this." He finished, relieved and grateful he was willing. He really needed this message delivered and knew Mordecai would get the job done.

"It's not a problem," he said with a smile. Mordecai could deliver a message simple enough, even if it meant pushing him outside of his comfort zone of the Plateau. He had healed decently and felt up to the travel, though he had little question in his mind that he wouldn't overdo it. Having Harlyn along would take some of the strain off of being caught unaware, though he had the similar feeling that all would be well. Sometimes, bad things just had to happen for reasons that they couldn't understand.

"I'll see if I can track down Harlyn, but I don't imagine that we'll be gone too long. A few days, maybe. Depends on how the travel fares." He wouldn't waste the time if he could help it. "Guess we'll see you when we get back." With a simple nod as a goodbye, Mordecai set off once their business had come to its inevitable conclusion.