Larksong Grotto The Wind is Unsteady

While on guard near Saena's little ones he does end up getting bored and begins thinking on everything he learned and experienced. Today his mind lingered on all the events that recently happend. What scares him the most is the thought of war between Phoenix and the Sleeping Dragon. The trigger of it was very simple, someone must just cross the river. Esaro started to think that it didn't matter which side would cross. Once someone does and the Alphas from one of the sides knows, war would likely happen. Before the announcement a member of the Sleeping Dragon had crossed innocent (as he believed). He hoped the traces of that day had faded. His actions were not loyal to Phoenix if they knew about it he would likely be listed as a traitor.

Even if he risk losing everything, he was still more afraid of wolves fighting each other to the death. He felt the need to some how stop the possibility of war. Which brings him here after his guard duty was done. It was difficult to reach this area but he made it up to the borders of Larksong Grotto. The wolves he hoped to see were Reek, Tavi, and Luna. He didn't want to howl to get their attention, doing so might alert Saena of his actions. He simply waited at some  sort of staircase, watching very carefully for any wolf who might live here. For some reason he expected to have some sort of help in the current problem. Reek and Tavi did know Saena. Was there a way to make Saena be more reasonable?

Still mottled with the blood of the previous day's brawl in the maplewood, Reek plodded along the borders with a steady and obvious limp. The mangled skin on his forelimb hung loose and painful, and clinging to the raw and exposed flesh was a roughly made poultice made from wild onions to keep the bacteria away. He had done this to most of his injuries, however, he was unable to reach the ear that had been lopped off at the tip by Luke's jaws and the long gash stretching across his face. There, he had to rely on standard washing.

He looked rough. Felt it too, but it didn't keep Reek from carrying out his duties to the pack. In fact, he found them more important now with the threat of the maplewood realized. He began his morning patrol as usual Reek slowly made his way to the edge of the territory.

Jaw clenching hard as soon as Reek noticed the familiar scent of the Maplewood, Reek nearly called the alarm for the rest of the pack. The wolves of the maplewood had finally come to chase him out, he was sure. However, before Reek made any hasty decision, he ascended a ridge and spied Esaro out in the distance -- it was only Esaro.

He shook his head, and made his way to the natural staircase that separated the grotto from the outside world. "Luke send you to finish the job he couldn't do himself?" snapped Reek as he approached, tail held high and gaze like stone.

A while later someone eventually showed up. Usually he would have taken him longer to notice someone but this time he saw a wolf approaching at good distance away. The scent was familiar and of course he easily recognized the male approaching. It was Reek! except something was different. It looked like Reek had the fight of his life. Immediately Esaro wanted to asked what had happend but Reek gave the answer to that without the question being asked. The Knowledge was shocking. Esaro simply looked with wide eyes. He knew nothing of what happend. He had to go through a moment of surprise before he could actually speak.

"W-wait, you're saying that the white male who's always with Saena did all that?!" He said, having a hard time believing someone from Phoenix Maplewood did that. Esaro has never met the white wolf personally so to his eyes a random male joined and suddenly became the Alpha. He would have never stand against the decision Saena made but if he saw the fight he would have tried to stop it. "But what do you mean? He came here?" He asked since he didn't having any information on the whole event. His first guess was that Luke came to fight Reek but couldn't win but then wouldn't that mean Luke has injuries to? Esaro never noticed anything yet.

Esaro's confusion was evident: seeing so cause all the irritation to be flushed from Reek's face. His anger had been a mask, serving to cover his true feelings of depression that had set in exponentially since his return from the maplewood. The mask however faltered and Reek bore all to see in his tired expression. Taking the place of the tell-tale signs of anger were the sad lines of stress and heartache. "That's the one," Reek mumbled. His head dipped low: his pride, simply shattered.

"He didn't come here though," he continued. If Luke had come to the grotto his fate would have been sealed. Unlike the blue-nose, Reek wouldn't have left the other wolf alive if he had it his way. "I came to the maplewood -- brought Saena a fox and hoped I could offer it to see my pups, but I was intercepted on the border by a stranger. She told me to leave— and, well, I understood and would have gone without struggle." He paused. "But another... Luke, he came out of nowhere and tried to kill me: no questions asked."

This luke was obviously a problem and Esaro decide to say out loud the details he did know about the white male. "He even attacked his own packmate and what confuses me the most is that he became Alpha after that." He heard this from Grace and apparently Saena was there too that day. It wasn't hard to suddenly start believing that Saena isn't her usual self. Normally she did things for the pack but ever since Luke appeared her actions weren't beneficial for the pack. If anything she had made the whole situation worse. All of it was what brought Esaro here. If nothing is done then the worst was on it's way. What if Luke provokes the Sleeping Dragons? He had already been marked as an enemy for Larksong Grotto. Esaro feared the worst and worried for the safety of all Phoenix Maplewood members.

"I came here hoping to find help in trying to keep peace between the three packs. I've been afraid for everyone ever since Saena made her announcement. You could say I prevented the raid by returning a Sleeping Dragon member back to their side after they crossed. With Luke around it's only a matter of time before something crazy happens." He said, stating his main worry about everything and his reason for being here. Esaro believed that Reek did want the best for his pups knowing that he had tried to visit. As he thought of the matter he decide to say a little more. "I got to see your pups. Me and a few others have been helping out Saena take care of them so they are very healthy and well taken care of so far."

Reek found himself unsurprised that Luke would turn his aggression on of their own. He was not to be trusted: Reek had come to this conclusion long before, when he had caught the bluenose on top of his ex-mate when they first founded the maplewood. Whomever it had been that Luke had turned his aggression on, however, remained a mystery to Reek. He worried for Desna and her safety, knowing that her connection to him would put a target on her back: now more than ever seeing as Luke was the new alpha male.

Esaro searched for peace. In response, Reek shook his blood-smeared head. "There's nothing I can do Esaro. I can't go back." He had barely escaped with his life the first time. Nevertheless, this conclusion added to Reek's pain. The meantion of his young only added to this pain. He knew now that his relationship with his pups could never be... his family there had been relinquished. Reek had chosen Tavi -- he had chosen the grotto. But even still, he felt a connection to the wolves he had once led. "Protect my kids Esaro. It's now your job to protect my wolves when I no longer can. Don't let Luke hurt anyone else if you can. Can you do this?"

He knew Reek couldn't go back, this place was where he now belonged. He needs to be there for Tavi and Luna, there was no way Esaro could break Reek's pack apart. He didn't want that at all. Instead Esaro was seeking the complete support from the pack here. There wasn't much he could do on his own so if he wanted to protect what is dear to everyone he was going to need help and lots of it. One of the first things he had learned in his life was that he was very weak alone. Thanks to all he had a bond with he grew to have much more impact. He has basically learned to be a wolf.

"You saved me once, so in return I will try to keep everyone safe for you. You, your pack, your pups, and your old pack." He told him. He remembered that day where Reek saved him from a stranger so since that day Esaro owed Reek. (Still having no idea that it was Reek that scared him in the first place). Esaro didn't believe that there was nothing that Reek could do. "There is still something you can do. I won't ask you to leave your place here but I'd like to know if I could call on you and your pack to help me out if things get really bad. Saena is the one threatening the Sleeping Dragon I think. I won't be able to stop her on my own if she decided to attack them with everyone." He paused for a moment before speaking a little more. "If there is be a strong lasting peace for everyone, I believe we have to work all together. So after this I'm going to go try to talk to the Alpha of Sleeping Dragon." He said, feeling a little uncertain that getting the packs to work together might not work so easily, especially with the Sleeping Dragon and with Saena and Luke doing the unreasonable.

Reek, once again, shook his head. It seemed Esaro simply did not understand that Reek's paws were metaphorically tied in the conflict brewing between the northern packs. For one, providing support to the maplewood after pledging himself to Thuringwethil's coalition would be an impossibility. And, seeing how he couldnt even get to Saena to talk to her, he knew his ability to diffuse the ticking time bomb this war could be was severely lacking. Hell, with his injuries, Reek wouldn't even be able to leave the grotto for some time.

"You don't understand Esaro— There's nothing I can do," he repeated. War was the last thing Reek wanted to loom on the horizon, but if Saena was the aggressor, he knew there was nothing to be done to prevent it's inevitibility. "We joined a coalition with Sleeping Dragon in trade for security. If Saena start's a war, I can't do anything about it." His pack would have to take action against him, and in a way, it was the only way he could ensure the saftey of his pups. 

"Go home Esaro," he commanded. "Do some damage control." It was only thing that could be done, Reek felt. He was in no position to talk peace with Saena, however, Esaro was.

It turns out that Reek had already made a deal with Sleeping Dragon. But this one was very different compared to the one with Phoenix Maplewood. They were working together to keep each other safe which was something Esaro wanted every pack to do. If he could get Phoenix and Sleeping to make a pact similar to the one Reek has then everyone could be safe. The idea encouraged the possibility of peace between all packs here. So before going to Saena he needed to talk to the Alpha of Sleeping Dragon. If Reek could do it then maybe he could too.

Esaro nodded. "Okay. I'll go try to make sure peace stays with everyone." Before turning and heading back out he gave a little request. "Tell Tavi and Luna that I said hi." Next step in peace would be to go to the Sleeping Dragon. There were reasonable wolves there and they might not want a war either. The only way to know was for him to go talk to them and that was the plan. If Reek had nothing important to say then off he went. Eastward, all he needed to was find the river he was not suppose to cross and then wait. Someone was always bound to show up if he waited long enough.

If Reek had realized Esaro's intent to go directly to Sleeping Dragon -- thus starting the same war he wished to prevent by crossing the established boundary line -- Reek would have forbidden it outright. Though he was no longer Esaro's alpha in a conventional sense, Reek still felt his old, naive subordinate was one of his own. Being so, Esaro was still subject to Reek's command (or so Reek thought). Assuming he was leaving to return to the maplewood without further issue, Reek let Esaro turn away and walk. Giving Esaro a slow and physically painful parting not, Reek departed as well.

He would be sure to tell both Luna and Tavi of his visit. Well, he at least thought so then. Reek had a lot on his mind and Esaro's visit would more than likely slip from memory in the coming days. With Esaro now gone from the borders of the grotto, Reek noticed his wounds had begun to reopen and bleed freely as he walked. This patrol had been a poor idea. Reek now knew he needed to stop and rest. And so, he limped his way to lake to begin cleaning his wounds.