The Warlord made a detour in his trip North. Skirting by Abaven lands. The Alpha there, Theory, was a wolf he almost considered a friend. There were very few outside of Ashen that he trusted. He wouldn’t want news of his missing wolf to spread far. Opportunities might start looking for his daughter as well. But Theory… he trusted Theory not to use this information as a weak point. She might even know something, and it was better to ask then leave it and find he missed a trail.

He stopped by the border, politely on the rogue side, as he tipped his head and called for the other woman. His agitation and worry showed only in slight pull of his ears, and the occasional flick of his tail. He was anxious to be on the hunt again.

Valhalla's festival had been fun but now it was time to get back to work. There was much to do before she announced her plans for their own joint gathering - and plenty of wolves to speak to. Corvus, Twig, Rhyme... well, maybe Rhyme could take a back seat on this one. Fatherhood seemed to have hit him harder this time around, but she couldn't blame him. He was getting on in years and the devious duo of Haiku and Senyru could wear any wolf thin. Just as her mind was about to settle on business, her ears pricked to Sirius' call. Well, that was a kind of business! The young alpha quickly tracked to the border and greeted him kindly. They'd forged an unlikely bond, one she hoped to deepen in time. Hopefully he would be glad to hear that she'd run into his son. "Sirius," she greeted warmly, then glanced over the Warlord. He was tense. "What brings you to my borders?"

Theorys arrival was prompt, and in seeing the seriousness in him she jumped straight into business. He was grateful. He dipped his head in greeting, his tail giving a half hearted swish behind him. "Theory, thank you for meeting me. I've declared a wolf of mine, my adopted daughter and third in command missing." His explanation was quick, and to the point. He wasnt certain if the other Alpha would realise the trust the secluded Warlord showed her in telling her this. "She is Morts best friend, her scent would have been the prominent female scent on Mort after Zee." Yes. He knew how they had met on the beach near their terratories. Mort had filled him in, and spoken well of her.

"Her name is Malalia Fatalis, and I am only passing by Abaven in my hunt, heading North. If you have, or do, hear anything..." he trailed off, his open concern showing in his expression as he looked to thr other wolf. Oh. The irony. She would know the fear of a missing family member, and the fault of that was his own. It wasnt lost on him, and he wondered at her nature that she did not seem to hate him.

He filled her in quickly and directly. No wonder he seemed so uneasy. Theory wracked her brain to remember the patchwork quilt of scents that had made up Motis' unique scent profile. There had been another outlying female scent, but she hadn't been able to pin it down. This must be the wolf he was talking about. But that was where the trail ended for her - she hadn't encountered that smell since. There was a twinge in her chest at his unrest. It would be so easy to sneer and say this is what it felt like. So easy to walk away from her borders and turn her back on him. In the end, though, Poem and Motif had returned to her. He had harbored them safely, if against their will. There was no respite for his lost daughter. Theory sighed deeply and shook her head. "No, I haven't smelled that scent since the day I met Mortis. I'm sorry for your loss and I will commit the name and scent to my memory, best as I can." That was all she could do. "Please stop by on your way back from the North. I'm interested to hear how that visit goes... and perhaps I'll have some better news for you then."

He hadnt truly expected her to have the answers, but at least there was another wolf who knew. Who could keep an eye out. When she said she was sorry for his loss, he couldn't help the flinch that fleetingly passed his expressions. It was hard not to associate the phrase with death. Mal wasn't dead, she couldnt be. "Thank you Theory, I appreciate that. I know you'll keep an eye out. And... I owe you one. You've been a friend, somehow, despite everything." He admitted. It seemed today was one where his walls weren't strong-standing. But it was the truth, and he appreciated her for who she was. A steady, collected Alpha who cared for her pack and family.

He offered her a partial, fleeting smile. Especially at her mention of a visit in the North. "I won't be stopping my any packs." There being of course, only one up there. "I think a one man war would only get in the way of my search." Of course. If a certain Alpha did find him snooping in the rogue lands near his pack and try to detain him. It would turn into something like a one man war. His next smile, at the hought, had a little teeth. He had beaten the man on an uneven two to one. He would wipe the floor with him jf he got in the way. But, that was getting ahead of himself. He wasnt hunting Acere, he was just covering his bases and search the lands this way. Better him then one of his wolves, in case any offense was taken.