The Alpha's replacement

[Cordath]

The young sentinel had no idea what to do when he had been told both the alpha and beta were missing. He was shocked that this to happen so soon, after he had been deemed a fitting alpha replacement. On the inside he was a deer face to face with the jaws of a wolf, he secretly loathed leading, advising sure that he was good at but when decisions may rest on him alone... {Well at least the alpha female isn't missing} he thought to himself. He did not know her well, but he was happy he would not have to lead the Pack alone.

On the outside he showed no signs of the turbulence within him, he knew it would be interpreted as weakness, and he was not weak. When the elder had spoken the news to him he had nodded and replied "If such is my duty" Then quickly strolled off to the Alpha's den, where he found himself now.

[Shine]

The one remaining alpha was currently pacing her den, worried, frustrated, and confused. How could two of the highest ranking pack members just go missing? Was it one of the animals around here? Was it another pack? If it was, why didn't they take me as well? What do they want? What're their goals? These thoughts and more ran rampant through her mind, and he struggled to contain them there. She stiffened as she smelled another wolf coming near, but quickly reassured herself it was an IcePack wolf. She looked over as one of the sentinels came in. She nodded to him, recognizing Cordath as the one they had chosen to replace the Alpha for the time. "Cordath. I see you got the message." She stated simply in that same cold, quiet tone she always used. It was a gift. She needn't raise her voice that could silence crowds. She looked him over. He was tall for and IcePack wolf. Not as tall as her, but still of good size. His black fur clashed heavily with the mountain side, but he seemed lean and fast enough that it wouldn't matter. She approved of the choice to make him replacement Alpha. For the time being or permanent, she didn't know.

[Cordath]

Cordath nodded as he walked inside taking in the scenery, it's a larger den than the ones he had seen before. "It was a bit surprising" He replied in his own voice, it wasn't cold like hers, but cool and smooth. He had learned to separate his voice from his thoughts long ago so it was filled with an unwavering and relentless calm that was pleasant on the ear and made others simply want to listen. "I suppose this isn't a simple hunting trip they've gone on, so do we have any leads so far?" He asked knowing that should be his first order of business.

[Shine]

Shine sighed heavily, her ears sagging on her head. "We have no leads. They may have well disappeared off the earth for all we know." She sat down, staring at the icy wall opposite her. "They've been gone for half a moon already. Hunting trips last a quarter moon at most. Of course, you would know that, wouldn't you?" She said, breaking her stony expression for a wry smile. She then looked back at the wall, her eyes narrowed. "I was just wondering if it was another pack o a wild animal." She murmured, staring at the ground.

[Cordath]

Cordath faces her, he knows she doesn't believe it was wild animals "A pack of wild animals takes out an Alpha, and two Betas? It's the preferable of the two, but not the more likely i'm afraid" He pauses a bit to let his theory sink in before continuing "I don't think it's the moon pack, i became somewhat acquainted with their alpha recently on a longer hunting trip in which i wandered into moonpack territory, if the moon pack was after us she'd have at least tried to take me out"

[Shine]

Shine nodded to this theory, sighing heavily. She resigned herself to accepting it as the truth. It was the fault of another pack. Her ears twitched and she looked up at the other wolf. "You must have traveled quite far. It could be FuanaPack. If you hit MoonPack territory, you had to have crossed through their territory. It could be retaliation. A misunderstanding. Retaliation for an accident." She murmured, then looked up, waiting for his opinion.

[Cordath]

"You think fauna pack has the nerve?" Cordath asked unconvinced that they would have the nerve to risk repercussion he sighs uncertain "regardless there isn't much we can do at the moment"

[Shine]

The white wolf sighed again. "I suppose you are correct. If they were angered, they would have led a party to meet with us. They are not so bold as to capture or kill two high ranked members." She looked u with narrowed eyes. "SkyPack would not have the power to take out two high ranked members. HydroPack and MoonPack are the only two who have the power and guts to do it. Now the question becomes which one."

[Cordath]

"Should we make contact?" Cordath asked her he knows while they may be able to spy on the Hydro pack any attempts to sneak into moon pack territory would surely fail with the Moon pack's far greater knowledge of advanced stealth. And ability to turn invisible, anyIcepack assassins, or trackers would be ambushed and killed rather quickly "Perhaps a more subtle approach is required with the moon pack, hydropack we may be able to pull of an infiltration opp"

[Shine]

((There's no HydroPack wolves yet, so we could try to include the MoonPack Alphas.))

Shine nodded once more. "MoonPack would have more of a motive, considering your accident." She was careful to make it sound like a fact, not an accusation. "We should start with them. If there's no success there, we can move from their territory to HydroPack's. They border each other."

[Cordath]

"It's possible, and no matter what happened, they're the most... Informed of the packs" Cordath reasoned pacing around trying to think of a way to day with them. He stated their obvious problem "We can't out stealth them though, and i don't think we can disguise ourselves so how do we infiltrate the pack?"

[Shine]

Shine looked at the wall as she thought. "We could always just lead a small patrol of wolves to their border at Gathering Clearing. Wait for one of them to meet us there. Ask them to take us to their camp and ask them outright. It would be clear if they were holding prisoners when we got there. We at least need to see if they're being held. Then find out how to get them back."

[Cordath]

Cordath gives her a nod, the plan made sense but he didn't want to seem like he was trying to intrude on their territory. So he added to the plan "I agree, i don't think i made such a bad impression on their female alpha, she may be more willing to cooperate, so we should ask to meet with lynx"

[Shine]

Shine looked over, for once glad they had made friends in another pack. "Sounds like a plan." She stood. "I'll trust you to decide who to bring on the patrol. No more than five wolves total. That includes you and me." She walked out of the den, clearly dismissing him, then started barking orders at the wolves around, organizing more search patrols, hunting patrols, and making sure the pack was running smoothly before she left.

((I'll PM Kurai and Lynx to invite them to this topic. Or do we want to start a new one?))

[Cordath]

(Up to you)

[Shine]

((I invited them to this topic.))

[Cordath]

Cordath had chosen the 3 of the packs best warriors, and two skilled hunters who could pick up on things if the moon pack tried any invisibility tricks. Cordath himself walked at the front of the group. He did not plan on any unnecessary violence, but if danger came upon them as an Alpha at least for the time being he would be the first to face it. He led his group to the border where he had last seen lynx, with any luck it was a personal hunting spot and she would be the one to greet them. He had gotten the sense she was an at least somewhat reasonable person. He looked to Shine he had not wanted her to come, he thought having them in the same place was a bad idea, but she had insisted, and he was certainly not the type to challenge her "Wait here or crossover?" he asked the alpha wolf

[Lynx]

Lynx was walking through the woods. She still had the habit of hunting, because she was a hunter before she became the Alpha, along with Kurai. She was about to howl for him, but another scent intrigued her. Icepack again. Except More wolves. She growled, then howled for Kurai to come at once. They are near, she thought, and crouched over, slowly heading towards the wolves.

[Shine]

Shine looked over to the wolf as he spoke to her, before tuning back to face forward. She shifted on the patch of ice she had created to sit on, uncomfortable in the heat. "Wait here." She answered. "If we go into their territory with a force like this, we would be seen as threatening." She stated simply, her gaze unwavering on the dank forests MoonPack called home. Her eyes narrowed at the nearby howl of a wolf, and kept scanning for movement. With a pack such as this, there was no telling where they would appear. She spread the ice patch out further to catch any shadows so the wolves would be easier to notice. She blinked again, scanning calmly for the pack she expected to notice.

[Kurai]

Kurai was walking through the packs current campsite, when he hears a howl made by Lynx. "I better go" Kurai thinks to himself. He goes around the camp barking for 3 hunters to come with him. When they are ready, Kurai and the three hunters trot to Lynx. On the way, they find a few frogs and some foxes, but the wolves ignore them. They finally find Lynx. Kurai dips his head in greeting. "You called" said Kurai.

[Lynx]

"There are Icepack wolves near our border. One Alpha, a sentinel, three warriors and two hunters." She growled softly. "I have no idea what this is about." She shook her head.

[Kurai]

"Nor do I ma'am" said Kurai. "Shall we meet up with them?" asked Kurai. He tilted his head waiting for the answer.

[Lynx]

"Sure. And please don't call me ma'am. It sounds like I'm fully in charge, but we really are equal." She smiled and nodded, then walked over to the other Alpha female in a dignified way. Lynx bowed in respect."What brings you to the forest of Moonpack?"

[Kurai]

Kurai didn't notice the IcePack Alpha until Lynx walked over to her. Kurai turned and walked behind Lynx. He went to the side of Lynx and sat down, head tilted a bit. Kurai wondered what was going on.

[Cordath]

"A pleasure to see you again Lynx" Cordath also bowed slightly, to all wolves involved it was a clear bow of respect and not submission. He spoke politely but frankly "We have lost three wolves the alpha male, the beta male, and the beta female, I do not suspect you, but we do suspect one of the packs is behind it, and It is well known that your pack is the most informed. We were hoping you could help us with our problem"

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