Grouse Thicket The War Room

Hope the powerplay is Ok! Just wanted to get this going so we can knock this thread out as quick as possible.

This winter storm was no small hurdle. It sapped the remaining strength and willpower that Reek had to carry his band forward. The freezing weather effected everyone differently -- some more than others. For Reek and others, it was a nuisance. For some, however, the effect of the cold was far more devastating. It was Tambourine that had Reek most worried. The boy was losing toes. His frostbite would only get worse the more they traveled. None other than nature herself commanded the band to settle, and it commanded them to settle now. Reek knew what must be done, and he needed to do it for the sake of his son, despite the misgivings he had.

There was a pack directly south of the thicket in which the wandering band of wolves had come to rest. Reek had scouted ahead that morning and had scented their border. From what he could tell by scent, the wolves that inhabited the glade were scattered, but they were many in number. His own force, however, was sizeable by any standard.

Upon his return to the snow-swept thicket, Reek sought those he could trust: @Jhala and @Dagfinn. He beckoned them to follow him away from the rest of the group. When they were a fair distance away, Reek spoke. "There's a pack the South. Ten miles, maybe more," he described. "We're going to take it." He was confident that they could. One thing was certain in Reek's mind: the Glade would be his by morning.

Dagfinn had caught the scent of the other pack as well. It'd made him wonder what his leaders were thinking - surely, no pack would accept so many so late in the season, especially pups. But at Reek's words, Dag began to understand, and his respect for Reek grew just a little bit more. To know that the man had a spine - and a stiff one - was a great comfort to the youth. War had been part of his upbringing, and although he expected a man to be good and righteous, he expected them to be warriors as well.

Reek and Jhala were warriors, and Dag would gladly carry their flag.

"Who will stay with the kids? Just Tam?" he wondered, thinking of logistics, first and foremost. He was calculating, wondering at the numbers of the other pack. "Do you know how many are in the other pack?"

By his tone, Reek would probably glean that he was not questioning the plan of his leader, only trying to build upon it, to help realize it.

her instinct was that something was wrong. she worried deeply--mostly for her children-- when reek drew them away from the rest of the group. she stood close to dag when then settled away, her ears splayed as she waited. when he spoke, her muscles loosened, but suddenly she was riddled with confusion. reek wanted to take over another pack? well, hell yeah she was in, of course, but did they have the man power for that? she was a seasoned warrior and raised in a military pack, so strategy was sort of her whole thing... but she needed a bit more info than that.

"can we do that?" she asked, dagfinn echoing her actual, specific questions. while dag was more concerned with not offending reek, jhala actually didn't care if she did, because she knew reek knew she was only thinking of logistics. it was clear regardless by her wagging tail that she was hyping herself up to rip some throats open regardless.

The others had their questions, just as Reek thought they would. After all, the choice to strip an entire pack of their home wasn't a choice made lightly in any sense. But at this point, it was no longer a question of morality. There was no good or bad, only survival. Reek turned to Dagfinn and nodded. "Yeah, Tam will watch the kids," he confimed. With the frost taking his toes, the kid was in no condition to fight along side the rest of them. However, he could still be useful to the whole. In a time of war, no matter how unexpected, every member of the pack was expected to pull their own weight in whatever way they could.

When it came down to talk strategy, Reek was ready to lay down a plan. "As far as I can tell," he continued, "there's anywhere between four to eight of them." As far as numbers went, Reek felt the odds were reletively even. "If we leave before dawn, we can take them by surprise and make a clean sweep." He then turned to his wife. "We can take them -- we have to." Victory was the only option.

Just Tam, then. Just one wolf to watch the kids, but that was okay. As long as he stayed out of the way, Dagfinn wasn't worried about them. They'd be warm enough for the time it took to take over the other pack. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too much fighting, or maybe no fighting at all. Perhaps the winter had subdued them well enough that Reek's forced would be able to march in and declare sovereignty without trouble.

But, even if they didn't,

"I will be savage, if that is what's needed," Dag said solemnly.

jhala looked between the two men with interest, her tail holding still as she thought. reek seemed to have it under control, he had a game plan. jhala was better at executing plans rather than actually coming up with the plans herself. it was the thinky-thinky parts that proved to be harder for her, although she was an intelligent beast she lacked the leadership skills that actually devising a plan required. dagfinn commented that he would be savage, and jhala nodded.

"i'm fuckin' down," she replied simply, blinking.

Savagery, at times, was completely necessary for the greater good. However, in this case, Reek felt that savagery was perhaps not the best option. After all, they would be kicking an unsuspecting family and pack into the deadly cold of winter -- those who didn't chose to stay and assimilate, that is. "We need to be stern," he said. "Unshaken in our resolve and purpose." Most conflicts, in Reek's experiance, were simply a matter of posturing and numbers. In his life-time, he had seen one full blown war, and it had been a disaster that claimed the life of a child.

"But we should kill only when absolutely necessary," he added. "Our goal is only to take the pack -- not cause gatuitious loss of life." However, if it meant sacrificing the life of a stranger so that his own wolves, that his own children, could live, then so be it.

Dagfinn dipped his head in understanding. This made him feel a bit more confident in his leader, though he was uncertain they would be able to go the night without killing on or two of their adversaries. It was a hard winter they were in, and Dag wouldn't have given up the Vale if wolves had come to take it. As it was, things had fallen apart from the inside out - if he could've killed to prevent that, he would have.

So he would kill to save this family, if that was what was needed. He merely hoped that it would not be necessary.

"We we allow any of them to remain? Do we know if there are pups?" he asked, wanting to get the whole picture before they went into battle.

jhala squinted, mostly because from her experience, wolves who were taken over did not want to remain under their rule. they would either leave or uprise, and she did not care for the second of the two to happen. "chase them out," she said with a narrowed gaze aiming pointedly at reek. he knew the drill-- hopefully-- she didn't want any more trouble for her two sons, and remaining, vengeful packmates was one surefire way to get both of them harmed.

He looked to his wife and nodded. There was a small part of Reek, an inkling whisper, that wanted to show the wolves of the Glade mercy. However, he cast what little moral convictions he had aside for the good of his family. There could be no room for any further misfortune. If he gave the wolves of the Glade the option to stay, he could imagine them plotting against them, waiting to rise when the time came. Their presence was a danger to each and every wolf that Reek cared for; that Reek loved. None could stay, of that Reek was certain.

"If there are pups, they'll have to go with their own family," he said. "I have my own family to worry about." Despite Reek's soft-spot for children, his own were his absolute priority. "So are we settled?" he asked. "We move in the morning." With that, Reek turned to brief the rest of his followers on the tentitive plan.

Dagfinn simply nodded his agreement, having nothing more to say on the matter. I am at your command, he thought to the pair, but he did not feel it needed saying aloud. They would see.

He let out a breath that billowed into a cloud in the chilly weather. He was sorry that pups would be affected by this, but he was in agreement with Reek. They had their own pups to worry about - and he considered himself one of them. They were a pack, now, and he had a duty to the pups in his pack before any others, unless Lotte had suddenly decided to get pregnant.

jhala nodded without a second thought. despite the whole religion and her almost dashing out on the grotto entirely, when reek agreed to leave with her the dark fae pledged her allegiance to him once more. this time, she thought, there would be nothing to stand in their way. "yes sir," she said firmly, eyeing her mate. she gave dag a quick nudge to the shoulder before deciding to leave. she leaned in to give reek a kiss on the cheek before she padded off to find her babies.