There'd been no sign of Ophie for weeks and weeks now. Kaija had initially convinced herself she was likely just worrying a little too much about her best friend, but after so long had passed without even a whiff of her near the borders… Kaija started to really worry. She'd even stood near Armada's borders and called out for her a few times, and Kaija knew deep in her heart that Ophie wouldn't just ignore her calls, not unless something was very seriously wrong.

Over the last few weeks Kaija had convinced herself of the worst. That Ophie was dead, or she was being held prisoner in the Armada. So many things her friend had said echoed over and over in her head on a repeating cycle as she tried to come up with a reason why she was missing and Kaija couldn't find hide nor hair of her. Not that she'd ever said anything about her family mistreating her, it just seemed like they didn't really accept her for who she was, not like Kaija did. She loved Ophie just as she was, just like she had since the very first day they'd met.

That was why she doggedly darted back and forth along the border of the forest, frantic as she looked for any sign of her. This had been her routine for a few hours now, from the time the sun first started to set until now. The moon was at its peak in the sky, only partially obscured by cloud cover as a light wind whisked through the area.

The decision to trespass seemed sudden but it was anything but. Maybe a more rational, level-headed wolf would've just called for someone in a position of leadership and asked about Ophie's whereabouts, but if they'd done something to her it wasn't like they'd tell her anyway. This felt necessary, she just hoped that she'd find something and her risky decision would be worth it.

Kaija was as quiet as she was able to be as she crept through the underbrush into Armada territory, keeping her head low and her ears perked for signs of anyone who might be around. First on the agenda was to find a hint of Ophie's scent deeper in the territory and see where it led her. After that… well, she'd figure the next step out as she went.

I can't destroy what isn't there

Sleep had not been the Warlord's friend for a long time now. He filled many of his sleepless nights with patrols, and he sailed silently through the woods. He’d caught the scent of a wolf along his borders. Back and forth, fading and growing as if they had stalked along his land. It was enough to put his guard up, and when Marshal came on silent wings to alert him of the trespass, he was ready.

He followed the raptor through the trees, until he found the undergrowth the girl was attempting to move through. He came to a stop at the end of the growth where the girls would have to stick her head out to proceed any further, and he waited. Her scent was not entirely unfamiliar to him, but he could not place where he had caught it before.


"Speech"

Unfortunately for her, flying under the radar wasn't really something that was easy for Kaija. It wasn't helped with her height and her tusks, and the fact that overall she wasn't the most graceful of wolves. Plowing through the underbrush with less elegance than she'd originally anticipated, she swore she spotted someone up ahead. But she couldn't be sure, not until she went any further, and all at once she began to second-guess herself.

But for Ophie she'd do anything, and whatever crazy story she'd concocted in her head about what had happened to her closest friend seemed more and more plausible by the second. Inhaling sharply, she pushed forward - as hard and fast as she could. If someone really was there they'd have to catch her, and she wasn't gonna turn around and see if someone really was there. There was still no sign of Ophie's scent but she had to move deeper into the territory to see for sure if she was here or not.

I can't destroy what isn't there

He hunkered down, silent and steady as he waited for his prey to make the first move. Despite being ready and waiting, the stranger shot out of the trees so fast he failed his first attempt at a catch. Throwing himself down onto what should have been on top of the wolf, and hitting empty air. He landed hard, and was already moving. As he surged back to his paws, Bast shot in like an arrow and attempted to cut off the dark wolf's escape. Buying Sirius time to rejoin the hunt.

He did not know who this wolf was, or what they were hoping to achieve in their late night trespassing, but the Warlord would get to the bottom of it. Even if he had to snap some legs to do it.


"Speech"

Maybe Kaija was just imagining things. She wondered that for a few short moments as she took off, paws beating hard against the ground as she ran, deeper into the Armada's territory. She swore she'd heard a solid thud behind her but then there was nothing.

At least, not until the sharp flash of white fur appeared in front of her, attempting to cut her off. The sheer weight of her body kept her from coming to a graceful halt; she tried to avoid colliding with the feline but probably failed, stumbling roughly over her own paws, quite literally going head-over-heels onto the ground, and hard, too.

Kaija wasn't sure what would come next, but either way she was ready to face it.

"Wait! Hey! It's - not - what it looks like," she spat out the words as quickly as she could manage, her breaths coming out ragged and heavy as she fumbled around and tried to get back up on all fours as quickly as possible. She'd decide what her next move was, whether to fight or run or continue to try to explain herself.

I can't destroy what isn't there

The Warlord tore after the invader, and he arrived just in time to see the girl collude with Bast. Sending them both off their paws and onto the forest floor. Bast managed to wiggle her way free from the dead weight of the wolf, and Sirius arrived just as the tusked wolf was attempting to get to her own paws.

He stepped forward, aiming to place a large paw into the small of the trespassers back, and drive her back into the ground again. She had already proven to be sticky and hard to catch. He wouldn’t let her escape him twice. “No?” He asked, hard amusement in his tone. “Because it looks as if you were trespassing in Armada territory. And do you know what we do with trespassers?” He asked her, voice soft.


"Speech"

Kaija felt the feline wriggling beneath her, and she didn't bother to try to stop her. She wasn't here to hurt anyone after all, just to find Ophie, and even if she didn't like the whole pack lifestyle thing she understood it. Understood she was trespassing. The consequences be damned - it was all worth it to make sure Ophie was okay.

Breathing hard, she tried to stand, but the weight of the larger wolf came down square between her shoulders and kept her down even as she tried to squirm free. The attempt was futile, and after a moment she stilled. "No," she reiterated, her own voice hard. Was she afraid of what this monstrous wolf could do to her? Most definitely. She was foolish, but not completely stupid. Acting afraid wouldn't get her anywhere though. There was no point.

"I'm looking for Ophie," Kaija explained, her voice as level as she could keep it. Maybe this guy was one of the wolves keeping her prisoner here? But no, Kaija hadn't caught even a whiff of her best friend's scent here. It was seeming increasingly more likely that she gone gone, not deep within Armada territory.

"I haven't seen her for a long time and I'm getting worried. Really worried. It's not like her to go off on her own. Hell, I had to all but beg her to go climb a mountain with me-" Kaija explained, a little hurriedly, but trying to get her point across before she was cut off. The worry in her voice was unmistakable. "Anyway, she's not around and hasn't been for awhile and she hasn't been answering my calls and I needed to make sure she wasn't here somewhere. She's okay, right? She's gotta be." Not quite pleading, but Kaija sounded a little desperate, more so as she tried to twist her neck around and get a better look at Sirius. She'd take whatever punishment this behemoth would send her way - she cared much more about getting information about Ophie and making sure she was okay. Any amount of pain was worth it for that.

I can't destroy what isn't there

He pinned the girl down, and defied her attempts to shake him off. After a moment, she spoke. He hadn’t thought any words she would speak would change his mind, but somehow she surprised him. His daughter's name falling from her lips. He stilled, and then started to rise. Not removing himself fully from the tusked woman, so he could tackle her again quickly if it was needed. It was not the first time one of his children had left to find themselves some peace, or to find themselves. He knew Ophie had taken some time after her mothers death. He didn’t like it, but respected his children. Kaija made it sound as if Ophie’s absence was something else
Missing.

“Are you someone my daughter should have confided in if she wandered off? Her mother passed away recently, I thought she was taking some time to…” He paused, and swallowed. Mention of Zee still able to rattle him, even now. “You speak as if she’s missing.” He said, voice deep with growing concern.


"Speech"

Sirius didn't relinquish his hold on her, but at least he wasn't trying to completely maul her. She felt a little bit of his weight lift off her back when she started to speak. It wasn't enough for her to slide out from beneath him, but she wasn't about to try. His question made her furrow her brow tightly, concern written all over her features. "Yeah, Ophie's my best friend. Has been since we were kids. I don't really hang around in one place for long so we've been in and out of contact for a long time but - I've been hanging around these parts for a good while now, wanting to spend more time with her. She's the best thing in my life, I think. I'm pretty sure I love her, if I'm really being honest," she hardly took a breath as the words rolled out, picking up momentum before she had to a chance to stop them.

"So... she would've told me if she was going anywhere. At least I think. That's why I got so worried," Kaija explained. Wait, her mother had died? At first, she'd worried maybe someone here had done something to Ophie but there was something in Sirius's demeanor that seemed too genuine to ignore. It didn't seem like he was faking his sudden worry. "I didn't know her mom died. I haven't seen her in awhile. I thought she was just.... y'know, busy doing pack things, training, whatever. I had no idea." If she'd known, Kaija would've been there for her, waiting at the borders to console her or distract her or whatever she needed.

I can't destroy what isn't there

As she spoke, the Warlord judged the sincerity in her tones, and began to realise that she had not been stalking the borders in search of weakness. She had been looking for any signs of her friend, until desperation had driven her across. He climbed to his paws, and offered to help her up as she spoke. I’m pretty sure I love her.

Well. That was an unexpected turn. “Well. Anyone who cares that much about one of my own is a friend in my eyes. I’m Sirius Fatalis. I’ll show you to her den, and we can see if she left any clues there as to where she’s gone to” He said. He hoped she was just taking some time to herself, but this wolf had planted a seed of worry. He could already feel it growing.


"Speech"

The words came out all at once, flowing over one another before she had a chance to try to stop them. Almost immediately after her admission, she felt exhaustion aching deep in her bones, though maybe it was the worry she'd been feeling all compounding at once now that she had a chance to really stop and feel it. Shaking her head, she slowly lifted herself upright, trying to rid herself of the dirt that had accumulated from being tackled.

Kaija made no sign to flee. She wasn't being driven away, but instead invited in. Oh... Kaija's brows furrowed tightly together as she studied him through the dim light of night. "You're her dad?" Maybe she'd said his name, maybe not, but suddenly it seemed to make sense. They seemed a lot different but there were some similarities there, like their eye markings. "That'd be cool. Thanks. And I'm sorry for the whole... trespassing thing," she explained, sounding a little embarrassed now. Maybe her idea of Ophie being held captive here had been a foolish one but she was worried, and her imagination sometimes liked to run wild. "I'm just worried about her. And a little scared, I guess." A bold admission for the Jarvela but there it was, out in the open.

I can't destroy what isn't there

The Warlord inclined his head in agreement. He had mentioned that Ophie was his daughter, but she was clearly rattled by her disappearance, so he let it go. She had been driven enough to trespass in the Armada’s territory, and risk his wrath for his daughter. “It’s forgiven” He promised her. He would not seek out any repercussions for her trespass, and had given her permission to be there when he invited her to investigate Ophie’s den with him.

“I understand, me… too” He admitted. He hadn’t been worried about Ophie before. His overweight daughter had always simply… been there, and he hadn’t needed to worry about her overmuch, other than failed efforts to encourage her to lose weight. He turned and began to lead them towards his daughter's den. Which took them into the heart of the pack, and into the warren that Ophie had shared with some of her sisters. Her den was the first on the left, and he ducked into there now. “Here we are”


"Speech"

If she was being honest, Ophie had never spoken poorly of her family, only of their expectations and how she felt pushed to fulfill them even against her own wishes. That didn't mean someone was keeping her prisoner or doing harm to her. The thought seemed foolish now, but it'd been driven by frantic worry and the need to find answers somewhere. It was clear now that Sirius hadn't harmed his own daughter. If anything, he seemed just as worried as she was now.

Kaija felt those specific worries fade away instantaneously as she was led deeper into Armada territory, replaced wholly by concern for Ophie's safety. She ducked her head inside, sniffing around the floor. It smelled like Ophie, of course, but her scent had begun to fade. "It just doesn't make sense to me," Kaija sighed, twisting around to face Sirius again. She'd seen Ophie go through hardship before... okay, maybe not like this... but it was hard to imagine her just up and leaving over it. Without even telling her.

The weight of that realization seemed heavier now, and she didn't quite know what to do with it. Especially with no clues about her whereabouts here. Just a den, somewhere Kaija wished she'd come before, when Ophie was here instead of gone. She let out a loud sigh, frustrated that she had no clue where to go next.

I can't destroy what isn't there

The Warlord moved about the cave that Ophie called home. Going through her belongings in a way he normally would not. He believed in the privacy of his children, of their freedom and independence. But if she was missing, he would tear about the world to find her. Three litters, enough children to lose count in a crowd. But he had never lost one before, and he did not plan to start now.

He heard Kaija sigh, and looked over at the tusked girl. “So, how did you and Ophie meet?” He asked, trying to get her mind off her worries as he pulled apart Ophie’s bedding. Setting it for a timeline, and any hint of where she had last been.


"Speech"

There wasn't anything here that would hint where she had gone, at least not that Kaija could see. She was less comfortable rifling through her best friend's belongings but hung back as Sirius did, brows pulled tightly together in concern. "We met when we were still kids. At the firefly festival that happened... I don't know, I guess like three years ago now."

Ophie had made quite the impression on her from the very first moment they'd met, when the other girl had beat her in a fight and had apologized profusely for it. Things had been so much simpler back then, and sometimes she found herself wishing she could return to those days. Not that she was really one to dwell on the past, but missing Ophie made it hard to not feel nostalgia for days gone by. "We've kinda just kept running into each other ever since. I was happy when I realized she'd moved to the north, 'cause I spend most of my time up this way. I was looking forward to...." Kaija trailed off, shrugging.

What had she been looking forward to? Spending more time with her? Sharing things with her? It felt foolish now to talk that way when she'd already essentially asked Ophie to come travel and see the world with her and she'd declined, afraid to leave home. And now it seemed like she was doing just that, only without Kaija. "I dunno. I just was glad to see her more." She tried not to think dark thoughts, pawing idly at the floor of her den.

I can't destroy what isn't there

The Warlord was surprised to hear mention of the firefly festival. Had it only been three years ago? It felt like it had been longer. The Warlord nodded his head as Kaija continued on, mentioning how glad she had been that they had moved North. The way she trailed off… Seer could tell she was really worried. Ophelia had been close to her mother, closer to her then to Sirius. It was possible Zee’s death had impacted Ophelia drastically, and Sirius hadn’t seen it. He was ashamed, that he let himself get so caught up in his own misery that he would miss his daughter's absence.

“I understand, and your welcome to stick around for a few days while we try to figure out where she’s gone. If I find anything, you’ll be the first to know, and vice versa?” He suggested, his voice soft.


"Speech"

Her thoughts were heavy, even heavier now that she was here in Ophie's abandoned den. There were no clues and Sirius had no idea where her best friend was either - if anything she could sense that her own fears and worries had only exacerbated his. "Yeah, thank you. I might," she said, slumping down finally onto the floor of the den. "Sorry again about the whole... intruding thing. I just got these crazy ideas, and I miss her." Letting her imagination run wild wasn't out of the ordinary for her but it didn't generally go down such dark paths, but this was different.