Sleeping Dragon set the controls for the heart of the sun

hella backdated to after the reek thread as well as the saena thread. also @Warbone if you want to join you can but preferrably be quick since i delayed this because of the hellacious week haha

With night coming in the last few hours of the day, Thuringwethil uses what daylight is left to climb the rocky terrain. She doesn’t take the direct route to her destination, lingering here and there for the scenic view. A few of her caches remained untouched, except for one, and she makes note to find something for it later. The oncoming spring had brought plenty to the lands surrounding them and the new budding relationship with another pack would only make them stronger.

Thuringwethil slows her gait and lifts her nose to call for @Gyda. Her message is important, but vague, and would likely draw the attention of @Magpie if she’d taken their last conversation into consideration. Once the call has been made, she takes the last few long strides upon the ledge. Bitterroot lay below her and she can see the hazy outline of the river in the distance. Thuringwethil turns away as she waits for her arrival.

Thuringwethil's call rose into the air, stirring Gyda from her methodical duty of patrols, allowing the rhythm of her paws beating against the earth to beat away her thoughts — which were usually racing these days. She had begun to feel like she was on the precipice of her sexual maturity yet no heat cycle had yet come and Gyda could not help the overwhelming fear that she was broken. She did not know who to ask. Her mother was many days south and it was embarrassment and beyond that shame and fear that kept her from asking Lucani. Gyda tried her best not to think about it because the truth was her knowledge of something that was regular with females was extremely vague. The call was urgent and the shield-maiden wasted no time diverting her path to one that would take her with haste to her Heda's position. When Gyda was close enough to spot Thuringwethil's familiar silhouette in the distance, she let out a soft chuff of greeting, wasting no time striding to the other, taller woman's side.

It is not long Thuringwethil has to wait for Gyda to arrive and she reaches out and gently bumps her nose. A lot has changed in the last few weeks, keeping the both of them busy, and as much as she liked to be home in Sleeping Dragon, her next few weeks might be just as hectic. Without really having a chance to talk about things except in passing or between times of her travel, she was glad to have this moment of something big to keep them rooted for longer than just a few minutes.

“Reek is no longer in the maplewood,” she muses, though she’s sure she’s mentioned it in passing since meeting him on the glacier, but now, “and he’s settled to the west of us, between the glacier and the mountain. He requested a visit to speak of an alliance.” She’d mentioned her travel days ago, with Warbone at her side, and made the trip and left their wolves in the hands of her queen. Sleeping Dragon had erected steadily, their roots growing deeper, but they had no one to depend on in their formation. Reek had connections she didn’t that perhaps had been severed in his disconnect from the maplewood but scooping him up would hopefully benefit Drageda in the long run.

I was worried I would be fashionably late as usual! I'm going to do my best to keep up with turn order, but feel free to skip as needed to keep it moving. ^^

It never felt fair, or right, to perform a job without the title or pay raise-- and truth be told, Magpie was sick of having to bust her ass to prove herself to these wolves of the Wilds. It had been Peregrine, first, and now she was beholden to Thuringwethil; at least Peregrine had been her elder by several years. But something kept the woman tied to Drageda, and its Heda. She was intrigued by them, as much as they exasperated her-- and she had to admit, she had plenty to learn (and prove to herself) before she was truly ready to lead a pack of her own.

When the Commander's voice rose into the air-- not for Magpie specifically, though the woman now understood there was an unspoken invitation for her in all of the Heda's calls-- the Corvidae had been searching for answers of her own in the stars. Her body still stirred, still felt restless, but whatever was awaking with her hadn't yet; it only felt stronger as spring approached. But Thuringwethil's interruption would offer a welcome distraction, and so Magpie moved towards the source with an eagerness.

She arrived in time to hear the Commander speak to another woman-- Gyda, the Corvidae had gathered, though she knew little about the woman and had not yet interacted with her directly. Magpie took her place at Thuringwethil's side, standing proudly, though not enough to overshadow the dominance of the other two woman. For the moment, she remained silent, allowing the leaders to speak unhindered as she gathered enough information to provide direction.

For the briefest of moments Gyda allows herself to revel in Thuringwethil's touch despite that it is just a simple bump upon the nose in greeting. Her decision to want children and stick to her guns — though if she was broken the there was no point for either of them to worry about it anymore — did not eradicate any feelings the shield-maiden had for her Heda, even if tensions had been running a little higher than normal. As it was, they'd both kept busy and the subject hadn't been broached again since; and thus far it was an unnecessary topic to rehash. The moment did not linger long and passed as Thuringwethil got down to the business aspect of why she had summoned her.

Thuringwethil had mentioned, in passing, about Reek's departure from the Maplewood but Gyda had thought it of no consequence to her or Drageda. While a leader leaving a pack was something that was not overly common but at the end of the day the Scandinavian found herself on the fence of whether she cared or not. She did not know Reek personally and did not have the desire to. The talk of an alliance surprised the shield-maiden whom despite the close friendship she'd had with Thuringwethil during her time in Odinn's Cove had been raised within Ragnar's terms of thinking: alliances were false. That at the end of the day when called upon a pack's leaders would choose the safety of their pack over an alliance.

“Why does he seek an alliance?” Gyda inquired, letting her gaze touch Magpie briefly before it went back to Thuringwethil. She would not refuse a consul to discuss the possibility of it but Gyda did not trust so easily, and she found it ironic that free from his post at Maplewood he suddenly craved an alliance with her and Heda.

*sneaks in*

Warbone lifted his head as Thuringwethil's call caressed the mount. His muzzle dripped water, tongue swiping reflexively to catch what drops were left clinging. Though the call had not been addressed to him, the hunter felt nosy and entitled regardless, so he began following the sound in a surefooted plod. He trudged across the stream that had just sated his thirst, and his bellyfur became sodden as he splashed through. By the time he arrived, he was neither dry or first on the scene.

The damp male padded nearer to the trio of she-wolves, but hangs back because... what if they were talking about their periods? The copper wolf eyes them carefully, respect in the loose way he holds his posture, ready to be invited or dismissed. His aged-olive eyes scan across the tall frame of Thuringwethil first, then travels over her silver equal, the small and cunning Gyda. His tail flicks faintly, before his eyes fall on the one he has not yet met. She is black, swathes of white cradling her features, and haunt-green eyes in the middle of a dark and pointed face. He is interested, if only because she is the only female of this group old enough to conceive, which made her favorable, if nothing else.

But his gaze, after a blatant and dispassionate stare, returns to his only superiors, regarding each of them just as evenly.

Thuringwethil’s idea of survival differs from many wolves, she understands, and Gyda’s reservation—even if she hasn’t spoken the concern—is evident. Her rule of Seageda, branching off into three other clans, had been the key to their survival. Harsh conditions, bloodthirsty wolves all a threat to her former home that an alliance bowing to her had been key to keeping them alive. Promising safety to another pack with the same in return, using them at her disposal should she need, would benefit the core of Drageda.

“He wants security,” she tells her, glancing toward Magpie under the impression she has heard most of the conversation. Grey eyes flick off toward Warbone but she ignores his presence; he knows what’s going on by being present at the meeting with Reek and whether or not he agrees is lost on her. She doesn’t dwell on it. “With nothing to gain, I would have denied the request but with the tensions in the Phoenix wolves, he could be beneficial.”

Her jaw tightens and she focuses on Gyda for a moment. The viking has been short sighted as queen but Thuringwethil didn’t fault her for that, for she often saw the long term even if the struggle of the present is difficult enough. Thuringwethil knows her wolves are strong, even if they are new, and should Saena hold her promise as a threat over Drageda, she has no doubt she couldn’t wipe them out entirely. Having Larksong on their side would add able bodies to ensure their claim is not a threat.

“He accepted the terms of a coalition, to submit to me—to Drageda—as their commander in return. They would become one of us,” she explains. An alliance, sure, but more. More bodies to keep them safe, fed, and alive. More wolves in her reign. 

There’s a moment where she is silent, unsure of how her queen would take, but she turns to Magpie to give her the floor should she need to speak up, this time with invitation: “I want you to be involved,” she decides, “to learn to be my advisor, you should have the position.” Thuringwethil holds her breath for a moment at the change, offering the position to the dark woman. They had a breakthrough not long ago of understanding but to really get the full effect, to show she wants the same thing, she offers the position officially to the older woman.

She gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment as Thuringwethil glanced at her— I heard.— and remained quiet, attentive, as the conversation between the two leaders continued. In Magpie's opinion, there was always something to be gained; but it wasn't yet time for her to voice the thought, and the Commander already knew her stance would likely be one of diplomacy. Her own mind was churning, for there was a gap in information— the allusions to tensions between Drageda and Phoenix Maplewood were known to the Corvidae, but she was not aware of the true extent or of any specific threat to her home.

Magpie planned to wait until the Queen had the chance to respond, but Thuringwethil turned to her at the end of her speech and offered her both the floor to speak— and the official title she had demanded on their first meet, and had coveted ever since. "I accept," she agreed readily, and all at once her reservations about remaining in Drageda faded. It would be later that she would have space to process, and that the gravity of the position would weigh upon her, but for now there were more important things to discuss.

"I am aware of the tensions between us and the Maplewood, but I have yet to hear of any direct threat," she began, prompting either leader to provide her with necessary information there. "An alliance should be considered, particularly if war looms and we are unable to reach agreement with the Maplewood. Reek will put his pack first, as we would, but if Drageda stands between them and a mutual enemy, it will be in their best interest to aid us." Not that Sleeping Dragon could not survive an attack, but more bodies were more bodies; and hopefully it would be more of his that fell in the event of a battle.

Gyda resisted the urge to let out a snort when Thuringwethil responded that it was security that Reek sought from them. A pack of warriors between him and his ex-mate? Of course he did. Whether her assumption was correct or not Gyda did not know for sure and frankly, didn't care. If he had to turn to the Dragon wolves to be his security detail then clearly he had no business leading a pack of any kind — but that was just Gyda being cruel.

As Gyda mulled it over, trying to see past her initial distrust of alliances borne of Ragnar's own dislike for them, she paid partial attention to the exchange and promotion between Thuringwethil and Magpie. Gyda did not know Magpie's credentials but as Thuringwethil's second offered her respect in listening to what the very newly appointed Beta had to say. Nevertheless the decision weighed upon Gyda's shoulders. “As eager as I am to let him deal with the consequences of his own mess and keep our wolves from being involved in what transpired between them I am not unwilling to this, so long as he is ready to swear absolute fealty to Drageda then we should try it.” Gyda was aware that Thuringwethil had several branch offs under her command and though this was a strange aspect of Heda's culture Gyda was willing to broaden her horizons, even though it was an entirely strange concept for the viking queen to wrap her head around.

The idea still made her weary but she tucked it away for now. Perhaps she could strike out and speak with Reek personally at some point. Perhaps her unease was simply because Thuringwethil had done all of the negotiating with him and not Gyda herself. "I would like to meet this Reek." She gave some voice to her thoughts then before she fell silent inhaling deeply and letting out as her gaze rested upon Thuringwethil, ready to hear what else the ebony woman might have to say.

Warbone's ears flickered as a war with the Phoenix wolves was mentioned, and its potential inevitability made him uneasy. However capable he was in battle, it did not mean he missed or desired it. He picked up his head, and his voice, finally. "I believe Reek is selfish and afraid— Afraid of the retribution he flees. So while he agreed, possibly in the hopes of having our protection should the Phoenixes come after him, I am highly suspicious that he will not aid us if we fight them. They are his former wolves, after all. Unless he is cold-hearted beneath his rags, then I cannot foresee his help in that foray."

The wolf reclined, licking his chops thoughtfully, looking to Thuringwethil. "His loyalty must be tested somehow. Can this agreement be somehow solidified beyond mere promise-word?" Maybe if they had leverage over Reek... like a child. Warbone looked at Gyda then. "I have no qualms with escorting you to meet him as well, if you would like," he said, settling nicely in his suit as bodyguard. Though this was not a stead that would come to fruition.

Magpie accepts the position and, without further ado, begins to speak. It is the first time she speaks on topics regarding the leadership and Thuringwethil puts her attention on the newly appointed beta. Heda isn’t sure she’s surprised but she takes the point, glancing across at Gyda and then to Warbone in the near distance. Where she wants to speak, she waits; she’s spoken her peace on the alliance and the other news will wait only a moment until there is time.

Looking toward Gyda, and her apprehension—which she expects—she slowly blinks once her decision had been made, and her desire to meet Reek. That time would come, in due time, and she nods her understanding.

It does, however, surprise her when Warbone speaks up and she quickly shifts her gaze at his form as he takes a step in. It crosses her mind to ward him off for them to speak but she doesn’t, listening to what he had to say—he’d been there, after all, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Thuringwethil nods her understanding before the floor is brought back to her and she takes a moment to consider everything presented. 

Reek’s selfishness had gotten him into this mess, had brought Thuringwethil to his doorstep, and while he’d made the decision to ask for an alliance, she’d hoped to keep it in her favor. If he did not do her bidding, she felt Drageda more than capable of wiping them off the map. 

"I have met the  leader of the Phoenix wolves at the river and she has threatened war, and expanded the land we cannot travel even though we’ve abided the agreement from the beginning,” she explains. “I am not keen on waiting around for her to decide to come to us, even if I tell our wolves where they can and cannot go. She is irrational and weakened; pregnant,” she says, with a short glance toward Gyda. Her distaste is obvious but at least Gyda had herself and Magpie now. “I do not want a war, but I will not stay here and wait for one to be brought to our doorstep. When I go to the Grotto, this will come up, and if he has any reservations, then an alliance will not be met. If he agrees, I will bring him here, supervised,” she explains and looks toward Warbone; Reek will not go without an escort and limited until their trust can be established over time. 

Her jaw tightens in thought, though she does not let her gaze travel from the male for a moment. "He will have children in the maplewood and their safety will hinder his decisions, their safety is our bargaining."

Apologies for holding this up; you could have skipped! Feel free to skip or prod me as needed going forward. I've been dealing with some craziness at work recently. :<

Magpie had fallen silent after speaking her piece, waiting for the rest of those gathered to speak theirs in turn. It was clear that the others had an advantage over the newly appointed Beta, for they glossed over her subtle request for more information and continued to speak of wolves and packs she had never met. Her jaws remained shut, clenching harder as her frustration grew; she could advise what she did not know, but she did not blame Gyda or the male for refusing to guide her. This would be part of her challenge, her test, and so she bore their refusal to aid her in silence, and stored away the morsels they did offer. If necessary, she would ask Thuringwethil for context when they were next alone.

But when the Commander next spoke, she answered the Corvidae's subtle invitation and filled in the gaps. Magpie listened hungrily, mind churning for solutions as soon as the puzzle pieces began to fit together— and a frown slowly formed upon her features, brows narrowing and darkening her bright eyes. Perhaps it was because she hadn't been here long, and perhaps it was because the Corvidae kept her ties as loose as possible, but she felt nothing but dispassion for the situation discussed. It was senseless, all of it, and she wondered if she had joined the ranks of a madwoman— or if she had broken through the looking glass into a region filled to the brim with wolves that had gone entirely bonkers.

Still, when she spoke, it was patient and level. "As you say, she is weakened by pregnancy," it was matter-of-fact, for a wolf carrying young was in no position to fight, "and further still if the Maplewood and Grotto were once together and now divided. Her threats are very likely hot air, meant to force our hand. If we wait and they come, we would easily overtake them. Drageda is strong and we know this land best." Besides, if this were a petty squabble between ex-lovers, Sleeping Dragon had no business inserting themselves in the middle; but Magpie was outnumbered in her opinion, and knew it, so she did not elaborate. "As for the pups," she continued fiercely, knowing that Thuringwethil's logic was sound but hating the involvement of the helpless, "we can speak of them to manipulate this Reek, but I will not allow Drageda to stoop so low as to actually harm them. They are innocents in this."

Gyda lent Warbone her attention when he spoke, taking into account what he had to say for Reek which was nothing flattering in the viking queen's opinion. If Warbone's opinions were true of Reek then Gyda truly held no sympathy for the Grotto Alpha; he had created this demon and thus it was his mess to deal with. Her society had no place for such wolves. “If he is to agree to this coalition he will aid us if we go to war and if he does not,” Her eyes turned to Thuringwethil to be sure that Heda was listening to the threat she had ever intention of keeping true to. “I will lead the raid that will tear them apart.” The Dragon was not guard dogs, and he could not hide behind them without offering them something in return. Gyda would not have it. “Thank you Warbone.” Gyda accepted when he offered to escort her to Reek, appreciative of his efforts. Though she did not know that Warbone would not be with them for long, nor would the time come for her to meet with Reek.

Gyda hesitated when Thuringwethil told her that Saena was pregnant. “She is with child Thuringwethil. She will not be leading anything and if she does it would put the life of her unborn children at risk,” But considering children was what Gyda wanted the very most in the world right now she suffered a brief moment of jealousy and the knowledge that she would not attack a soon-to-be mother. It seemed, however, that Thuringwethil and Warbone had a similar view on children. Innocents in this would be war. Magpie spoke her protest and for a moment a soft look was given in the direction of the Beta that Gyda hardly knew. “We will not use innocent children as leverage against them, we will not bring them into this.” Gyda spoke with a sharp finality, her stubbornness ceasing to allow her to hear another word of using children as pawns in their game of thrones. “We will think of another way to hold him to it if he agrees.” Her gaze was sharp as it swept from Thuringwethil to Warbone and back again. “If he is afraid then we play to his fears. If he does not hold up his end of the coalition then neither will we. He aids us if war is necessary or we will take from his pack until there is nothing left of them.” Gyda did not care either way if they survived or died off. She felt nothing for them and hence held no qualms about raiding and killing them, if necessary.

Warbone watched the she-wolves with rapt, expressionless attention, his eyes turning to each as they spoke. Gyda and the unfamiliar wolf were vehemently above using children as leverage, and while Warbone was not keen on harming children, he was not opposed to taking them. He liked children, in all actuality, but thought them only as good as their parents— and there weren't very many parents he understood to be decent role models for the upcoming generation. Children were easy to manipulate. Who wasn't to say they could not be stolen and raised with the Dragons as an acute bargaining chip...

He did not voice his thoughts, but began to drift from the conversation once he realized his opinion was the lowest among them. And though he believed in the superiority of women, given their ability to birth their race, he was not interested for very long in what they had to say. He felt much too anxious about these subjects to want to stand and talk about it for long. Their planning seemed to wane, and Warbone became eager to depart; he would look for direct orders later, as they obviously would not come now. "When you are ready," he said to Gyda, bobbing his head to her, then to the stranger and Thuringwethil respectively.

Quietly, the broad wolf turned and padded away.

Wrapping up :3

Magpie speaks further on the weakened state of the Maplewood, divided from the grotto. Thuringwethil had no idea if wolves followed Reek to his own claim, but he'd mentioned a co-leader, and assumed there had been one or two that would follow. It causes her mind to travel, for only a second, if Sleeping Dragon should split. If she should take Drageda elsewhere and continue its real kingdom as Seageda rebuilting. She shakes it, distracted then by Gyda's words that she has to take a moment to reiterate to herself what her newly appointed advisor had said.

"We will not harm them," she decides, even if Magpie had already made the statement. Gyda expresses herself to avoid their use at all and her own slate eyes narrow. She knows it has to do with her impending litter,
something she's already voiced upon. It had yet to come, so for that Thuringwethil doesn't worry, but to get Reek to bend to her ways, she needs something. His selfish intentions had been apparent, maybe forcing their paw into the coalition might not pan out the way she wants. For the time being, extra man power would be in their favor. "But Reek does not need to know that."

Unless Gyda came up with another alternative, she saw little to bargain with. His children had been the biggest thing between him and the Phoenix wolves, and bearing her gaze heavily on her queen she knew there would be little to motivate the other wolf. Glancing back to Magpie, she dips her head and sheds the conversation there. In time, she'd visit the grotto, though Warbone had agreed to take her. Had she'd not heard her bringing him her?

"Security will increase. Even if she is pregnant and weakened, that doesn't mean they are not a threat. They've been here longer, who knows what advantage they have. Until then, we'll prepare."

Thuringwethil pivots, and notices Warbone had already disappeared, and she begins her own exit. In a few days time, she'd slip back to the grotto to finalize everything.