note to self, this is backdated to about a week after this thread takes place

It was about damn fucking time. Shrike didn't care much for handling the merchandise, it's why he had so many mercenaries at his beck and call, but the fact they'd fucked up this bad had left him with no other choice. It wouldn't have been an issue if Hanako had simply wandered off for maybe a day or two, but the days rolled into weeks and then a season and here he was. Getting his paws dirty, both literally and figuratively. Since he'd-deservedly- killed the initial fuckups Shrike really had to put some decent legwork to get where he was now. He'd asked around, listened to whispers and rumours of a pretty girl who smiled too much. And this was where all the talk led him, to this shit hole swampy mangrove in the middle of fucking nowhere. Rumbling a sigh, Shrike drew to a stop and shot a look over his shoulder. Karver. He was a shit talker and salty to the bone but he was quick on his feet and made a served as a decent-ish scout. Given that Shrike had wounded-if not killed-most of the subordinates who served beneath him he hadn't had many options left, it was Karver or nothing and they both knew it.

"So this guy you spoke to, he said he saw her at some festival around here?" Shrike pursed his lips in thought as he lifted a paw out of the mud. It was low tide but within a few hours this place would be flooded.

Karver did not want to be here, nor was he being paid enough. He slogged through the mud and slush, having a far harder time with it due to his shorter, stubby legs. Shrike had been pissed when he found out that Hanako had gone missing and Karver found himself somewhat relieved that his anger had waned for now. Karver was a lot of things-many of them bad- but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to provoke Shrike for no good reason, for now if he told him to jump Karver would ask how high.

"Yeah." He said, flicking his ear to shoo away a gnat. "Last spring. She was with a guy, a big one. One of those mutated wolves." Or at least that's what he'd been told. Whilst not the most trustworthy of sources he doubted the trader would have much to gain from lying to a Keeper. Shrike's reputation travelled far and wide in the big wide world. Most folks knew what was good for them. "You think she's settled?"

On one paw that would mean Hanako had been kept safe and fed, but Karver knew most wolves wouldn't be so happy to give up an investment like that. He had a sinking feeling things were going to get complicated.

The time following the news left by Venom’s wolf was a learning curve for both Alpha and Heir. Working together to ensure the slavers would never get the chance to slip near the pack, nor ever find trace of Hana. the woods outside of the Armada were alive with the companions of the pack. Keeping watch and waiting to give the two top fighters all the heaps up they needed.

He was patrolling the borders with Azure, antsy for the timeline given by Hattori was nearing its peak. A sound alerted him above, only to find Marshal winging towards him, letting out a warning that he had caught sign of two likely wolves ahead.

He turned to Azure, and gave his son a sharp nod. “Take lead” as they had discussed prior to. With the admittance that he loved Hana, Sirius was willing to give him much leeway in dealing with this threat. Let him learn a little about leadership, well protecting what was his.


"Speech"

Azure felt his youth more then ever while patrolling for a real threat and not just scaring off coyotes and cougars. His heart pounded hard in his chest, his breath catching each time a noise drew his attention. While he was eager to see these men dead and more than happy to make as many bold threats as he could think of, it was a different matter entirely to actually consider killing another wolf. Not that he was too soft for it, though the real danger did bring him pause. He'd been in three serious fights in his life, two he'd won and the other he'd lost and even with Sirius at his side he wasn't confident what the fates might hand him today. He was lost in thought when Marshall called out to the pair, and couldn't help but send a youthfully panicked expression Sirius' way as the warlord gestured for him to take lead. Doubt and fear and fury all warred within him, and he blew out an audible breath as he nodded to his father. For now Hana was safe with Mortis, and that was at least one worry off his chest. The next most pressing anxiety was how best to handle the upcoming fight. Az naturally would want to approach them head on, explain to them how they were to die and watch the fear grip hold within them. He'd want their deaths to be slow and painful, and somehow he got the feeling his father would disapprove not only of his methods, but of the extra risk it would be to them both for letting the slavers see them coming. Az made it only a few more steps before he skidded to a halt and seethed. "I shouldn't." The yearling murmured under his breath. It was terribly hard for him to admit that he wasn't good enough for anything, and his lips twitched into a faint expression of self-hatred. "I'm going to get us killed with my anger. I can't lead this, Dad." Az's ears pulled back and his head angled downwards and away, waiting to hear his father's response and hoping he'd not disappointed him too greatly.   "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Shrike already knew what he needed to know, the question was more to check whether Karver was fucking around or not. Of course his underling ought to know better than that by now, but Shrike was nothing if not malicious. He rumbled in acknowledgement and the pair set off again, wading through the water in relative silence, clearly ignoring Karver's stupid question. Shrike could be chatty when the mood took him but as things stood his eyes were on the prize, or at least he hoped they'd be soon. He didn't doubt the girls ability to sweet talk and flutter her eyes lashes into peoples good graces, but he wondered how reluctant they'd be to let her go. He had no doubt in his mind that she'd settled, that they'd might even resort to taking her back by force. If need be. But that was a bridge to cross if and when they got there, Shrike was willing to sweeten the pot to get what he wanted. This didn't have to end in bloodshed but he wasn't opposed to the notion either.

Instead his mind wandered to the mutated wolf, whether they'd run into the hulking beast.

Shrike didn't say anything and that brought a frown to Karver's face. His silence didn't bode well and despite the humid nature of the mangroves Karver felt a chill run up his spine. Fine, he would bite his tongue and refrain from asking anymore dumb questions. He could manage that, probably. The pair pushed on, moving slower then Karver would like, as they made their way west. At their current position the mangroves were at their thickets, dense and tightly clustered, forcing the pair to weave and wind through rather than taking a quicker and more direct path. For the 100th time on this journey Karver found himself wondering why him, out of all the wolves that were alive why had Shrike dragged his unwilling ass along? A sigh slipped through gritted teeth as he watched Shrike lead on, completely unaware of the wolves that were waiting ahead. Out of sight and standing downwind.