Heron Lake Plateau boo! bitch!
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Ooc — Kat
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#1
All Welcome 
She looked the part of a youngster left to wander the wilderness alone for the better part of two weeks—thin, filthy, tired—but Bat arrived home in good spirits. She felt unduly hopeful that @Tegan had returned ahead of her, Ceara safely in tow. As soon as she strode up onto the plateau, she meant to call for him to get the latest news. Instead, Bat dragged her sorry carcass beneath a shrub and died napped like the dead.

Bat snorted awake at 2:26pm, not that she could tell time. The sky was blindingly bright above her as she uncurled and stretched, one of the shrub's scraggly branches poking her in the cheek, just below her eye. She scooted out from beneath it and blinked groggily at the plateau sprawling in all directions, apparently devoid of life at this hour.

With no idea whether or not he was actually within earshot, Bat sent up a questioning howl for her mentor.
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Ooc — Jess
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While @Raven and @Colt had begun to perform searches away from the pack together, she and Quixote had stuck together to mind the borders and keep the pack together. She checked in on the pups- though they’d grown into themselves and didn’t so much need to be babysat as they just needed to be checked in on to make sure they were staying out of trouble and keeping fed.

Wen she heard another youngster’s howl, she moved off to find her. She’d been told about the young female Tegan had brought along from another pack to train with him as a scout...So she was interested to get to know the newest pack member and see how she was doing under Tegan’s tutelage. 

She was easy to pick out- a sprawling, a bit too-thin youngster who looked somewhat like an adolescent but maybe short a few pounds...But with large ears and an expressive face. She gave her packmate a nod, and half-wished that she’d had something to feed her companion. ”Any news?” She asked.
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Ooc — Kat
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#3
You're not Tegan, a voice in Bat's head whispered when an unfamiliar she-wolf appeared, her pelt a fetching shade of gold. The juvenile's eyes tracked her movements, noting the understated pride in her stature, and bent her head accordingly. As she did so, she caught sight of the gunk coating her forelegs, marring the paler bands there. She did a quick once-over and wondered if she should feel embarrassed about her filthy state. Just in case, she peeked upward and shot the woman a sheepish smile.

She didn't comment on the youth's condition, nor bother with introductions, instead asking for news. Bat's giant ears twitched faintly and she shook her head. "Tegan sent me north with X but we didn't find her. X headed further up the coast." She was almost certain he'd told her where he was going before they'd parted ways but there was definitely a language barrier (which was very strange, considering her recent exchange with that gull lookalike). "Is Tegan back yet?" she couldn't help but ask.
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Ooc — Jess
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#4
Bat gave her report, and Niamh nodded. With a whole world out there, Ceara might be hard to find. There were already some murmurs of this being the beginning of another feud with Blackfeather, but such things Niamh was quick to dismiss; war was still something she thought was conpletely irrational. So as long as she could ignore the possibility that it was looming on the horizon- at least in rumour- she would. 

”Nah, not yet.” She said, and gestured with her muzzle. ”C’mon. You gotta be hungry after a mission like that. Want something to eat?” She asked, trying to bring to mind the placement of the last cache she’d stocked in this area. ”I’m Niamh, by the way. Happy to have you on board.” She said. Of course, she was going to try with this recruit- seeing as she’d pretty much terrorized Tegan’s last girlfriend.
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#5
She swallowed thickly at the news that Tegan hadn't returned home. She felt worry threading its way through her. Bat didn't even hear her pack mate's offer, nor her introduction, until she blinked and rewound a bit.

She was hungry—famished, honestly—but her concern for her friend dulled her appetite. "He went to—wherever the Blackfeathers are," Bat said, uncertain of what sort of territory they kept or where it was located. "With some guy named Llewellyn, who knows Ceara too. He said he was from Moonsword or something like that."

That reminded her of a question she'd wanted to ask for days now; there simply hadn't been anyone around to prod until now. "Are we really at war?"
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Ooc — Jess
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Niamh’s eyes narrowed to fine dots when Bat said where Tegan had gone. That hadn’t been a part of the plan, had it? They were just to scout...What reason did he and whoever the stranger was have to go to Blackfeather Woods? Niamh growled softly, a small note of frustration. Tegan was going too far, and without enough backup and- as far as she knew- not enough proof that that was where Ceara was. If they could leave the Blackfeather Wolves to last, they’d all be safer. 

”Are you sure that’s where he went?” She asked, having also forgotten about the meal she’d offered Bat. Tegan would have known whether Llewelyn was from Moonspear or not, so she wasn’t concerned about him being an imposter- but he was dabbling in business that wasn’t his, and endangering one of ther packmates. ”What made him so sure that’s where she is, and when did they go?” She asked as follow-up questions. Bat asked another question, and she could only frown in response. She shook her head. ”That’ll all depend on what those two do.” She said. The fate of the whole pack was in their command, and she hoped they weren’t being foolish and trespassing...And she couldn’t help but hate Ceara a little more. If they did go to war, it’d be over her head.
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Ooc — Kat
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Bat didn't know what to make of Niamh's answer, though it made her concern for Tegan mount even further. As for the woman's questions, she youth squinted as she tried to recollect. Llewellyn had mentioned the Blackfeathers and it had immediately triggered an adverse reaction from Tegan. Within moments, the two of them had taken off to their destination, leaving a baffled but compliant Bat to follow X's lead to the north.

"The Llewellyn guy mentioned that Ceara had been attacked by a Blackfeather, because of the war," the youth relayed the information as she understood it. On the surface, it did make sense that two enemies who crossed paths might engage in combat, although she knew very little about war, except that it had taken nomi from her. That thought caused a ragged breath to burst from her throat.

Pushing it aside, Bat focused on the final question she had yet to answer. "It was about a week ago, maybe a little longer." As the words left her mouth, the reality of that timeline settled heavily on her shoulders. "He's really not back yet? Do you think he's okay...?"
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Ooc — Jess
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Ceara had been attacked because of the war? It made no sense....Ceara hadn’t even been a part of the war; but then again, she was a Redhawk and maybe that was enough. Bat gave her an idea of the timeline, but there was fear and concern on her features. Niamh didn’t like the fact he’d been gone so long- but then again, it took a few days to get up North, and Tegan...Well, she’d travelled with him before, and knew that he was the sort to occasionally get distracted. 

”Blackfeather’s decently far away. It’d be a couple more days before they made it back even if they went, reached the borders and turned back.” She wasn’t sure if that was the truth- but in all likelihood, she was right...Chances were, though, that Tegan hadn’t just spent a matter of minutes or hours at the borders. It wasn’t a risk they could take. 

With Blackfeather being so far away, they’d need to act soon if Tegan needed backup. She wasn’t sure what to do, but the alphas needed to know. She touched her nose reassuringly to Bat’s temple. ”You’ve done really well. Thank you,” She said, her tone finally calm and even. ”We have to tell the alphas; I have a feeling I know where Quixote might be. We can get you something to eat on the way,” She said. She gestured then, wanting Bat to follow her. She knew Bat was tired, but had a feeling that her concern for Tegan would give her the energy she needed to give the report to Quixote and Raven, and then they could figure out what needed to be done.
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Ooc — Kat
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The next few words out of Niamh's mouth relieved a little of the tension building inside Bat. Perhaps Tegan and his companion hadn't run afoul of anyone, they were simply far away. And assuming Ceara might be in bad condition for one reason or another, it might slow them down on the return trip.

She didn't expect the praise, though she smiled despite herself. It felt good to hear positive feedback. She'd never really made such an effort to be something before. Perhaps Bat really had found her calling. Although the circumstances of her latest scouting trip hadn't been ideal—and she looked so much worse for wear—Bat had genuinely enjoyed herself.

"Okay. Thank you," Bat said appreciatively before abruptly remembering to add, "I'm Rory, by the way." She assumed Niamh must know that, since she'd known to ask for news, but Bat wanted to make the formal introduction anyway.
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Ooc — Jess
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Niamh nodded in acknowledgement of the girl’s name; it had been mentioned to her before but she couldn’t really remember it. If Niamh didn’t have time for someone, or hadn’t really met them, they were basically nill in her books. A bit ego-centric, of course, but Rory had definitely managed to put herself on the map. She was a bit slim to be working as a scout- she’d need to build some muscle and fill out a bit to be able to handle the journeys she’d go on, but Tegan had done well to choose this one as an apprentice. Though his judgement call on going to Blackfeather was wrong, he’d made a good call on Rory. 

”Hopefully this’ll all blow over. Dunno why the Blackfeathers would try something again...But I guess moving from the Plateau to here wasn’t enough.” She commented almost absent-mindedly.
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Ooc — Kat
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Although Bat's legs were still worn out from her trip, the nap had refreshed her a bit and the promise of food put a little bit of pep in her step. She kept up with Niamh as she led the way toward Quixote, wondering idly why they were searching for only him and not Raven as well. But before Bat could ask, her towheaded companion said something that made her curious.

"From the plateau to here?" she echoed. The information felt kind of familiar, in a vague way. Maybe Tegan had mentioned it at some point? "What do you mean about moving? And trying again? I think I need the whole story." As far as Bat knew, the war was current and ongoing, though she was missing more information than not and tipped her head toward Niamh, hopefully awaiting some sort of elaboration.
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Ooc — Jess
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#12
WC: 733

Rory kept pace with her, but Niamh moved along at a clip which was neither her usual, brisk walk nor a saunter, but something in between. She didn't want to tire the girl out- she already had that sort of over-tired, bewildered look that accompanied being dog tired, boss- but she also didn't want for her to feel as though she was being pitied either. A scout's job meant pushing past exhaustion, but it also didn't mean that they should go until they injured themselves or ran themselves so low on energy that they couldn't fulfil their mission. Rory would need to be well-conditioned in order to be a good scout, though she had already done quite well by going out on her first task and following direction from the wolf who was her supervisor...Even though he'd made a less than super call on going to Blackfeather.

The repercussions of Tegan's choice would inevitably be felt in the future. From what she knew, there was no reasoning with them or talking things out, especially not if they felt they were owed blood which seemed to be the case here. If they had Ceara because she'd done something to them, then Niamh knew they would practically have to move mountains in order to get her back...And at what cost? If Tegan aggravated them to some degree, they might risk losing him too...And if either of them let slip the location of the pack now, they'd surely be in for trouble at some point or another. Things looked fairly grim, and Niamh couldn't help but fear the worst awaited them as they sought out Quixote. She decided, then, that she would have Rory tell Quixote what she knew, but when it came to discussing future actions, she would let the scout take a break so that she and Quixote could figure things out. Rory was already worried enough about Tegan without hearing how Niamh really felt about the whole situation.

She was curious about the past, and again her worry showed. Perhaps it was just curiosity, but Niamh was inclined to believe that Rory wanted details so that she could better assess the situation and figure out exactly what kind of danger Tegan had gotten himself into. Niamh didn't know how he did it, but Tegan certainly had a knack for making girls chase after him. This was the first one, though, that Niamh found herself taking a shine to. She hoped it stayed that way. She had to take a minute to recall what she herself had been told about Blackfeather; it'd been some time since Towhee had told her, and Niamh wasn't exactly the best wolf to ask for any sort of story-telling. Her memory recall was fairly rough, and her listening skills were also in need of some tweaks, so with those two faults combined, she made a fairly poor historian and storyteller.

So, with some details slightly off, and others a bit ambigious, she told Rory what she could remember of the Redhawk and Blackfeather conflict. Once or twice she had to correct herself, as remembering names was not a forte of hers, but most of it was clear enough to outline the basis of what had happened. She found herself sounding fairly flat whenever she mentioned Screech, and she ended up going on a small tangent about him and his betrayal as well as it was, yet again, important pack history, and it was the only pack history that Niamh had been a part of. She reined herself in as much as she could, though, to stick to the topic, and finished with a small sigh. ”So the pack moved, from a Caldera to the North down through the mountains to here, to put more distance between us just to avoid anything else happening...I guess there was no real, satisfying conclusion to the conflict, except for the fact that we definitely didn't wipe them out because they're still there. But they didn't wipe us out, either,” She said, trying to lighten the topic a bit. ”I actually met Towhee and Raven and the Blackthorns the day they came to the Plateau...It wasn't exactly pretty, but we sorted things out fine in the end, heh.” She said dryly, recalling how she had once been more or less an enemy of the pack, until the offer to join them had come up.
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Ooc — Kat
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#13
Sorry mine's so short in comparison to yours! Would you like to fade with them going off to find Qui...?

The story unfolded and Bat eventually came to understand that much of the conflict lay in the past, not the present... although with Ceara's and Tegan's disappearance, it seemed history was repeating itself in a manner. There was quite a lot of information to digest. Normally, Bat might've queried about that first day at the plateau, another story altogether. But she'd had quite enough to process already, especially for a slightly overtired and underfed mind.

Speaking of which, Bat's stomach suddenly rumbled to life. The noise was so loud that she paused, blinking. She could feel her stomach gurgling inside her.
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Ooc — Jess
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#14
WC: 261
sure thing :3



Fortunately for Niamh, Rory didn’t have much in the way of questions when it came to her explanation of the Redhawks and Blackfeathers conflict. Niamh wouldn’t have been able to answer her questions properly, as she wasn’t great with detail or explaining things or stepping away from her own bias to tell a story objectively. As far as she could tell, and as far as she would tell, the Blackfeathers were a bunch of ornery, disrespectful and dangerous wolves who ought to have been dismissed the first time they’d gone to war. Of course, she couldn’t really comment on the fact that it was probably for the best that the Redhawks had moved to avoid getting hurt again, but now that the pups were grown up a bit more, she felt they might have had a better chance of standing up to the Blackfeathers, if push came to shove.
When Rory’s stomach growled, Niamh chuckled and gestured. ”C’mon. Slight detour- I know I got something buried over yonder, let’s get you all fed up,” She said, leading the new young scout toward an area covered with trees where she had safely stowed a bit of food away, more in case of emergency than anything. These meals were ones she’d caught fairly recently, but had been trying to avoid digging them up so that she could start a stash for the winter. She would allow Rory to eat, though, as a reward for her duty, before taking her to see Quixote and explaning what she knew about Tegan.