She had looked everywhere, her heart in her throat as her mind raced with the possibilities. She hadn't seen Jael since... well, she couldn't quite remember when. Dread was all but absent since Deluge had fallen pregnant and Tide and Davey were missing too. Modesty paced the Ravine from one end to the other, searching for any recent trace of them, but she kept on coming up empty. A grimace pulled at her mouth as she turned towards the border, hoping to intercept Gil on one of his ceaseless rounds. He would know if they had crossed the border, or if Dread had crossed in recently. At least that would give her direction to focus her search right? They couldn't be gone, they couldn't be far. It just. Wasn't. Possible.

"speech"

GILGAMESH

If he wasn’t busy training pups or spending time with Modesty, he was making rounds. With the second brood at a year old and ready to lead raids, he could take a break and rebuild his strength. Rebuild his mind. Or… continue to worry and be paranoid about all the endless risks there were. It didn’t much help that they hadn’t seen Jael or Tide or Davey or even Dread. Where the fuck had the boy been when Deluge had birthed their pups? His second set of grand pups and no father to be around? Beneath his pelt, his fury for the Fatalis burned brighter and deeper. Of course they couldn’t be trusted.

Gilgamesh’s mind stewed on these things. On the hole in his heart where Jael had been. On the safety of pups. On how Deluge was faring without her partner in crime. His face is drawn tight, muscles bunched, his gait clipped as he crosses from the moor into the ravine. With the sun rising along the border, it was time for some sort of sleep. Other would awaken soon and that allowed him some relief to know he could safely doze off until he was needed.

But soon he would be stopped in his tracks, yellow eyes drawn to Modesty. His heart sinks when he sees her. Sees how distraught she is. The concern lacing over her own expression and he knows exactly why. A sigh escapes him as he approaches, his muzzle coming up to nudge her neck gently so she too would stop pacing. “I’ve checked every border. Unless they fell into the fjord during a storm, they must’ve gone across the waters,” Gilgamesh begins, keeping close to Modesty both for her comfort and his own.

“Should we send word to the Hallows? Ask if they’ve found anyone recently?” He questions, seeking Modesty’s gaze for some sort of answer. After a beat, he clears his throat and says another hard thing that makes him glad Deluge isn’t in the vicinity. “Dread’s scent left over the border, but has since to return,” his tone is quiet, eyes flicking upward toward the treehouses where surely Deluge would be resting with her own brood of pups.

The only thing to stop her pacing is the wall of Gilgamesh in front of her, the cold nose to her cheek tethering her back on the ground of the Ravine as she let out a shaky breath. She didn't need to speak before he was telling her what he knew, her shoulders dropping, though whether it was with the weight of the news or relief that they hadn't been forcibly removed was yet to be seen.

His suggestion to send news to the Hallows was sound, and she nodded, "I'll send Moo later today. Perhaps Dread went to the Armada to share news with his family there? Maybe we should send a bird that way too..." Just in case. He hadn't seemed the type to just abandon Deluge, then again, he hadn't been around since before the pups were born.

At least Scald had returned, although she was yet to catch up with her son. Having a plan in motion, steps to take, eased a little of her worry, for now. "You must be exhausted," She turned her worry onto her mate now, turning to make her way back to the treehouse, they could walk and talk, she wouldn't keep him from his rest. "I will catch up with Scald about his time away today and I will fill you in this evening." There was something about all the comings and goings that had her particularly on edge, though she couldn't quite put her paw on it.

"speech"

Modesty's suggestion that Dread would relay information of pups to the Armada didn't sit well with him. "You said yourself at the alpha meeting that Basilisk is now Warlord and we saw at the bonfire that Sirius resides within the Hallows. Is he even close with his siblings?" Gilgamesh would admit he knew little of the Fatalis boy and didn't really care to get to know him. A Fatalis would always be a Fatalis in his mind and trusting them wasn't high on his list. His disappearance on Deluge only solidified that fact. "Perhaps ask Moo to include query of Dread's whereabouts as well. Maybe Sirius cares just enough of his son to go looking as well," he adds on with a quirk of his brow as he looks over Modesty.

Following her to the treehouse, he wants to protest. It's clear in her expression and body language that she is more than stressed about everything. Missing wolves, pups with no fathers, their own pups part of the missing group, what else? If they didn't stay consistent with raids on others, who would come knocking on their door? Was this Syndicate group something to truly worry about? "Sleep would be nice, but if I'm needed. If you need extra rest, I will survive," Gilgamesh urges, keeping himself close to Modesty as they make their way up the treehouse ramp. "Lets hope he did some scouting while he was out and dug up some fresh news," his voice is quiet, if a little sleepy, but he still stands with what he says. He would be there for her if needed and if necessary, would be the Boogeyman that everyone feared him to be. A monster could only be kept in the closet for so long...

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Modesty had scarcely had time to catch up with Dread after the bonfire, between the children and Deluge and the livestock. She wasn't sure how he might feel about the change in leadership of the Armada, if it would bother him at all. Sometimes it felt like she needed three of herself just to keep on top of everything. At least once the children were a bit older, they could take over the animals, but with the purpose of the pack in flux, some had clearly decided it wasn't the place for them anymore. Either that or they had gotten themselves into trouble and forgotten that Modesty and Gilgamesh weren't the sort of leaders that would fish them out of it.

If she were honest with herself, she would admit her head was pounding, but Gil didn't look too much better than she did. Her sigh was almost a defeated sound. "We should both rest. Siduri and Cal won't let the place burn down in the next few hours..." They wouldn't hold the position they did if Modesty thought otherwise. "It will be interesting to see what he made of the Syndicate, I wasn't too fond of their decor myself, but some like to attract vermin, I suppose. It will make for easy hunting lessons for the children..." She gestured towards the treehouse again, if nothing else, at least they could hold each other while they tried to rest. She needed the reassurance right now.

"speech"

Gilgamesh listens with an amused smile as Modesty comments about Sid and Cal being capable of tending to the pack. "Sid, I trust with my life. Cal on the other paw..," he teases quietly as he leads Modesty up the last bit of ramp to the entrance of their treehouse. Once inside, he lets out a breath of relief, one ear still listening to Mod ruminate on the Syndicate's choice of decoration. This bit of information piques his interest, a brow raised in question as he glances at her.

"You would think one's scent is enough to keep enemies out," he muses, a twinge of mischief in his expression, "but when has that ever stopped the likes of myself?" Gilgamesh question, perhaps providing enough reason as to why a pack would put up extra defenses to keep strangers out. "Thankfully we have enough rodents here for them to practice that aren't infested with diseases," his nose wrinkles at the idea of his pups eating rats or weasels that had been feasting upon rotting corpses. Not on his watch.

He wastes no time going to their private rooms, heading straight for the furs that make up their bed. With the pups old enough now to sleep in a pile on their own in a separate room, it was nice to have privacy back once more. Once Modesty is laid back beside him, Gilgamesh gently curls himself around her, resting his chin over her shoulders, his eyes closing softly as he lets out a sigh. "I do not believe this Syndicate is as fearsome as Artorias is leading them on to be. As long as everyone leaves them alone, I'm sure they'll keep to themselves," his words are thoughtful, even if a little dismissive. Or maybe just plain stupid. Was it smart to brush them off? Probably not. But now... it was something he needed.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Modesty couldn't help but grin at the assessment of their girls, despite the anxiety that coiled in her gut. Both were on more stable ground than Deluge at the moment, but that was a problem she would save for another day. She follows Gil to their room and settles on the furs with a relieved relaxing of her shoulders, leaning into his embrace and trying to force her racing mind to slow. She even yawned. "I agree, they don't seem too keen on outsiders, although why you would squeeze yourself up on the borders of three hostile packs if you wanted to keep to yourself..."

It wasn't her monkeys, nor her circus. She shook her head with a sigh. "I'm sure we'll hear about it soon enough if they mean ill with all those eyes on them though." Problems for another time, no point dwelling on it, there wasn't anything she could do right now, and the problems of the world at large weren't hers to fix.

She didn't fight when her lids grew heavy, head dropping to the furs, confident that the pack and all her problems would still be there when they awoke.

"speech"