Dragoncrest Cliffs they make us war

This thread is for most of the adults: @Eske @Dio @Shalon @Cecil @Eljay. @Portia if she has time. Other tag for reference. The children can pop in if they want to!

It has turned into a gradual shift from expecting her mate home to becoming antsy and, finally, concerned. She's gone to visit her family before over a short period that the extension without word makes her feel like she needs to put things into motion. There comes a time where she needs to make the first move instead of waiting and the ugly out in the depths of her gut don't leave her feeling optimistic that sitting back is going to get her anywhere.

When the decision is made, Thuringwethil lifts her nose to call for those able to do something. Temporarily, she'll need to weaken their core by a fraction but splitting up and covering their nearby territories for her mate and guard. @Tirgatao is the first to approach and she greets her easily with a nod of her head but she does not speak up, waiting for the rest to congregate near the pond.

Eljay arrived feeling nervous, afraid that this meeting might have something to do with him. He had noticed Wildfire hadn't returned but didn't know how far they were from Redhawk Caldera so he had figured that the journey to the Caldera was simply long and he waited patiently for her return so he could give her the good news of his acceptance here.

He arrived with submissive body posture, leaving no mistake that Thuringwethil was the Heda amongst current company. He was grateful that one other had already arrived and murmured a brief introduction before waiting for the rest to arrive, hoping the wait would not be too long.

It isn't what he'd like to hear, but he had wondered when it would have to come to this. Day after day passed and still no sign or word on Wildfire and Arlo's behalf had come, and he knew that the commander would not wait forever. A masterful scout and a skilled mercenary are not normally cause for any concern, but this has gone on longer than normal—and timed so neatly with the illness that kept their heda down until now did not settle well with him.

But now (especially considering that the leader's strength was on the mend), he sensed it may be time to shift their focus towards a different approach and one that reached well beyond their bounds to get the answers they wanted. While not exactly his most favored approach, it can work. He still hoped it will not be in vain, in the end if they did, yet now was a good time to go forward somehow. Soon, trails, any leads, and all hope were sure to be lost to the elements. If anything was going to happen with this, it would have to be soon. It was either that, keep waiting for what may never come to be, or move on without them.

Silently he joined the small gathering and settled in to wait for the others after a respectful nod in heda's direction. From his spot, he watched intently.

Wildfire and Arlo’s prolonged absence had not escaped Eske’s notice, but initially, it hardly seemed like anything to concern for. Arlo would protect Wildfire and both were wolves far from lacking in skills. Yet, it kept extending without even a single word. Longer than it should have been, past the point where it was enough to raise concerns, but with Heda ill they could not afford to send any out on a recovery mission. When Heda’s call rises into the air, summoning, the Drakru makes her way to the meeting point with due haste. She is not the first to arrive, she notes, her gaze touching upon Dio first — offering the Wocha a dip of her head, and then to Eljay though his name escape her ( they have yet to properly meet, after all ) and then to her Commander where her gaze rests. Eske situates herself among the males, settling upon her haunches as she waits, assuming the nature of this summons before it is even spoken. She does not know for sure, but it seems the most likely as the adults have been summoned. It is good, despite the unrest at Wildfire and Arlo’s extended absence, to see Thuringwethil is getting better, a relief even. Illness is not something the Cheka can protect her Commander from, after all, and the utter sense of helplessness in her sense of duty had been unwelcoming ( even though in her own way Eske had helped by temporarily taking up Fleimkepa ).

Her ears perk, the call of Heda rings through the air. She is quick to move, her paws moving swiftly. She finds the others have already arrived, a few she is unfamiliar with however she nods to them none-the-less. And finally offers a deeper nod to her Heda. 

She knew from Bobby that Wildfire was out exploring, however she had noticed that it seemed like an extended scouting trip. Especially when one had children at home. She also knew of Wildfire's importance to Thuringwethil, and the impact he absence had on the rest of the pack. Shalon had no incling of Arlo, only that she had met him once before she had sought to join the pack.

She waited patiently to hear what the Commander would have to say. Why were they called, and what action would they be taking.

The obsidian male made quick work of the distance between himself and the designated meeting place. Without hesitation, he had set off at the sound of his Heda. A woman he hadn't seen or spoken with in such a long time. It was wonderful to hear her call, even if the context was unfortunate.

As he approached he gave Thuringwethill a deep respectful nod, before offering Eske and Dio the same. He had no inclining of what this meet was about. His information on his two missing packmates was lacking. However, the atmosphere that surrounded the group was not of a cheerful note. So the man waited to see why they had been called here.

No posting order, loose rounds. :)

It does not take long for others to arrive. Seeing Eljay so soon after Tirgatao adds a couple of points in his favor and she looks him over for a long moment. Eventually, she glances over to see Dio approach, then Eske—whom she gives a thankful nod—and then Shalon and Cecil. She hadn’t seen the male since he arrived, Eske having taking him in. She is thankful it has been a former Seageda wolf at her borders, making the decision of acceptance so much easier. The other unknown to her does not approach but the invitation had not been extended. Soon, Asherah and Portia approach and settle in the backseat. With some relief, and some worry, she does not see any of the children.

“It has been too long since Wildfire and Arlo left and without word from anyone, it raises concern,” she says. She doubts anything significant happened at the Caldera that wouldn’t result in a messenger sent back—in what she expects to be the courteous gesture—and they wouldn’t know of anything after they left (or even before arrival). Not wanting to think about the negatives, she glances over the group she’s gathered. “I do not know where Redhack Caldera is,” she says, glancing around the others. She doubts Dio or Eske or a handful of the others to know, but Shalon’s knowledge is beyond her. Eljay is the only one she knows for certain to know the way back and she lingers longer on him. “I want to send three wolves first to sweep the area and nearby packs. One is along the coast further south, Teaghlaigh. Run by Arturo,” she tells them, having been unaware of their move.

Thuringwethil allows a moment of silence, giving the opportunity to those that want to volunteer to offer their services before she has to assign someone. “I’d like Eljay to stay back and continue to work on getting his health back for a longer trip to the Caldera, if you’re up for it,” she tells him, turning back to him for his thoughts.

Eljay felt pretty awkward as he waited for the rest to arrive, trying hard to ignore the Heda's gaze heavily upon him. He was glad when others arrived, greeting them with flashes of smiles before turning his gaze back towards the earth, his stomach twirling. He wished that Wildfire would return already so he might not have to feel so uncomfortable here; in part, he'd come here for her, after all. He thought briefly of Ty and wondered how her pack was doing.

Finally others arrived and Eljay was glad for it when the Heda started to speak... But not for very long, for she soon mentioned her concerns regarding Wildfire's absence. He felt a pit in his stomach, feeling terrible that Wildfire hadn't returned and also feeling terrible that he had selfishly felt bad about it for personal reasons, when she might be hurt or worse.

When the Heda glanced around after saying she did not know where the Caldera was, Eljay felt her eyes upon him and wondered briefly if she thought that he knew. Eljay had never left the Caldera before his journey here, and he had pretty much forgotten in what direction he was travelling half a day after leaving. The only things he had to go on was the territory in relation to other things, such as Lake Rodney and The Large Mountain To The North. What was it called again..? The Mountain Mommy Had Gotten Hurt At. That was pretty much all he knew, but there were many mountains around here and none of them looked like this one. He also hadn't climbed any mountains (for he thought them scary following mommy getting hurt) and had followed the oceanside all the way so he had no idea how relatively easy the journey could be or how relatively short the way to the Caldera was in relation to how long he had been out in the wilds.

Eljay listened to the silence, wondering if he should say something about not knowing how to get to the Caldera. He was glad when the Heda said he should stay back to work on his health at first, thinking that maybe she would appoint someone else to go to the Caldera, but then she said he should go for a trip to the Caldera, which caused panic for all sorts of reasons. First and foremost that he'd have to go back to the Caldera, which he had left without even saying good bye. He wasn't sure if he would be able to resist just staying there forever if he'd go back, and he obviously wasn't any better than when he had left, so how could he face his parents?

Then he realised that he also didn't know how to get there at all. His journey here had taken about a month and he had swerved a lot. He didn't even remember the exact route he had taken here, so how would he ever get back? "I..." he said, his voice breaking up a little from being nervous. She'd asked him if he was up for it, and he wasn't, but would she think him ridiculous for the reasons why? "... I don't know the way back to the Caldera at all, I... Sorry." He looked away, licking his lips nervously while he waited for the answer.

cameo, feel free to skip blix <3

she knows the call had been for the adults, but she also knows something is wrong, her mother's been gone too long. thinking maybe her nomi has news, blixen sneaks in as she finishes her speech, hoping to keep a low profile. 

the redhead has no idea what the caldera is - another pack, maybe? must be, but if everyone knew where her mother was, why was everyone so scared, including her? the boy her nomi speaks to doesn't know where it is, either. blix frowns and tucks her head down. she's young but she's not stupid - something bad has happened, and she finds herself filled with some big, hard-to-swallow feeling, like a too-old anger, though she can't quite put it into words right now. but she stays quiet and listens, desperate to get any answers she can from her eavesdropping.

More arrived, steadily filtering into the scene. To Eske, he returned a small nod. For his wife, he flipped his tail gently, but otherwise, attentions were drawn hard and stern to Thuringwethil as she began detailing them. He considered her every word, silently concentrating.

It summarizes with three wolves off to search, and he trusts her choice without resistance—although wonders if she had some in mind already. It's three fewer wolves here to maintain the homefront, however, but they can do it, he is sure. On all accounts, both home and abroad, they have strength on their side. He wants to hope that their absence would get to be very brief, after all. As for where the Caldera was, he felt a frown pulling to his lips, and one that became more solidified by the second.

He could put little value to what the newcomer male contributed after the Heda had addressed him, so added his own two cents after he did: "I don't know exactly where it is either, just that it's well south of the Sunspire's range," he mentioned. Besides just south, and that was only in a very general, borderline vague sense, he had never pinpointed Wildfire's home pack before; he'd simply had no need.. and the last time he had passed through the flatlands and the wilderness near them at all had been years ago.

cameo-ing also!

Much like his sister, Artaax was drawn to the call even though it had not been meant for him. He prowled silently towards the gathering, angling himself to haunt the steps of his ginger-furred sibling and then settle in beside her when she stopped to listen. His gaze shifted from Thur to Dio, skipping past Eljay even though he had been the one speaking. The wayward Blackthorn was a stranger to him, and his demeanor made him inconsequential to the Heda's eldest son (who had far too high of an opinion of himself). He was far more interested in what the pack's leaders had to say and showed it in the attention he gave to them.

Though he had his own thoughts on the matter at hand, he remained silent and watchful as the meeting continued. His heart throbbed from the mixed feelings of worry and frustration. He wanted to be one of the wolves called upon to take action, but would not voice the request. He was too obedient and dutiful to risk speaking out of turn, but still he stood a bit taller, hoping that Thur would spot him and realize he was the perfect choice for joining this scouting group.

I'm going to leave this open for a few more days. Feel free to reply once more if you'd like!

Her hope is quickly dashed when Eljay speaks up after a moment, announcing he doesn’t know the way to the caldera. Her eyes shift to him, hardening on his form as she takes a few seconds to register exactly what he’s told her and even longer before she finds the words to respond. Perhaps it had been a mistake bringing the boy into Drageda. Her motive had solely been to make her mate happy but her mate isn’t here and to containing her frustration doesn’t seem high on her priority. A low growl rumbles in her chest but she does not address the situation then. She’ll have to come up with another solution to get to the caldera and for the time being, puts all her hope in the upcoming scout mission.

“Eske, Shalon, and Cecil will go on the first scouting mission and in the meantime we will prepare here,” she decides, not letting them volunteer for themselves. Her patience quickly wears thin but she doubts she will be questioned. She looks to Eske then with just as much expectation as usual. She pulled through fleimkepa for a brief while and it will be easy for her to leave it behind and settle into her new title. “Wanlida, they will be under your command. Make it a swift trip,” she tells her before glancing past the group to see two of her children in the background but she doesn’t acknowledge them more than a glance before dismissing the rest of the wolves.