The search party had returned with no traces or signs of Malalia anywhere. They'd fanned out all over Boreas and Auster and she had thought that for sure they would have found her somewhere, but nothing. Even if they had found her and Malalia had told them that she didn't want to return then at least they would know she was alive and okay, but they didn't even have that. The only wolf that had gone out to search that hadn't returned just yet was Sirius and she thought that perhaps was for the best. It gave her a moment to gather her thoughts and figure out how she was going to break the results to him. She had sent everyone else on their way to rest or go back to their usual duties after they reported their findings, thanking each of them for their help and assuring them that she would take it form here. She didn't like being the bearer of bad news, but someone had to. She briefly considered going to tell Zee so perhaps she could bring it up to Sirius instead, but... she ultimately decided not to. He had trusted her with this task and she was going to see it through. She sat in the common meeting area at the center of the plains and waited for their Warlord to return from his search in the north, feeling a bit nervous and anxious about how he was going to react.

He returned again, intending to stop only long enough to get reports from his patrollers, and take a bite to eat. Maybe catch up on a few moments of shut-eye. He didn’t plan to stay for any longer than the duration of those tasks.

As he sleepily made his way to the cellar, he passed by the shape of a small black wolf. He stopped, blinked, and turned back. His thoughts catching up with him as he realised whom he had just passed. One look to his General and he knew what news she had to share. Her mere presence, sitting quietly here, empty handed, would have been enough. He feared she had more to tell him. He growled softly, trusting his General knew him enough not to fear him. “Report” he grumbled, taking a seat beside her, and leaning his tired head against the shoulder of the shorter wolf.

She looked up from the ground at the sound of large paws shuffling against the ground, Sirius' scent telling her it was him even before her mint eyes landed on him. He walked by her and she was about to find her voice to stop him or get up so she could catch up with him, but before she could he seemed to realize what he had done and turned back to look at her. Their eyes met and she heard the short growl he gave in response. It made her ears flick with concern, but she wasn't fearful. She was never fearful of Sirius. She watched as he sat next to her and was surprised when he leaned his head against her. He had very obviously been tired - they all were - but she had never expected to see him quite like this. It made her ears fold back and hurt her even more to know that she was going to have to break this news to him. She hesitated for just a moment and delaying it only made it feel worse. "We didn't find her," she explained, her voice fairly soft, but still serious in her tone. "There wasn't even a hint of her scent to go off of anywhere we went. Everyone that went out to search said the same thing. We didn't find any trace of Malalia - good or bad." She looked down at where his head was resting on her shoulder and she frowned. She couldn't help but feel like she had failed him even though there was nothing more they could have done. "Sirius, I'm sorry, but... She's gone. Wherever she went, she's at least not in Boreas or Auster."

We didn’t find her the words still hurt, no matter how expected they were. He no longer believed that she was out there to be found. She was dead or going, but either way, lost to him. “I know.” he replied softly to her. His sense of possession and right wouldn’t let him stop. He had to find her, he had no choice. To give up would go against his nature.

“I’ve come to the same conclusion, but how can I stop looking? I owe her more then that Tamsyn. I owe all of you more than that. If you went missing, if you were hurt and alone, wouldn’t you want me to go to the ends of the earth to find you?” he whispered softly. His eyes slipping closed. The scent of pack and familiarity surrounded him from Tam’s coat. his she was his. And because of that, he could relax, just a little, in her presence.

Perhaps the most heart breaking part about all of this was just hearing Sirius say I know. They all logically knew the truth, but that didn't make it easier. She had a hard time coming up for an argument against what he said in favor of continuing his search. Tam knew that if Resin were the one that had gone missing suddenly then she would kill herself searching for her... but that was because Resin was her entire world. She didn't have anyone else. Sure, she loved the pack and everyone in it, but Resin was the only wolf that was hers. She didn't lead a pack or have family members or children. She didn't have anyone else to care for besides Resin so it made sense that she would but her entire being into trying to find her. Sirius didn't have that luxury. There was a long pause as she thought about all of this before she spoke again. "The rest of us need you too," she told him softly, looking to where his head was resting on her shoulder. "Zee, Resin, Natha and I can keep things going and we'll keep the pack safe while you search for a while longer if you really want to, but... eventually we're going to need you too." She didn't want to feel like she was sounding selfish or harsh, but she also knew he needed to hear another perspective right now. "We're all worried about Malalia. I know that. There's just only so much we can do."

She found, of course, the weak point in his logic. He loved Malalia, and she was his daughter. But so was Asla. As Indy, and Mortis, and Azure were his children. Zee his wife, and the pack his family. He let out a soft sigh, knowing that he needed the words, even if they hurt. “A part of me will always search. She was mine.” he whispered fiercely, but that possessive instinct was the way he loved. How he professed a broken heart.

He breathed in the scent of Tam and pack once again, letting it steady him. “Thank you, Tamsyn. For knowing how to say the hard stuff, for trusting me, always. I’m glad that you became my General.” He said softly he wasn’t giving up on Malalia, but he did have to lesson the time he spent on searching for her. If she was to be found easily, he would have done so already.

Tamsyn listened to how possessive he was over Malalia - over all of them really - and it was slightly funny to her how it was endearing coming from him, but it had been terrifying when the men of her family had claimed such a thing about her and the other women in their group. Women had been property there, but with Sirius she felt valued and protected and cared for. "I know," she replied simply when he insisted that a part of him would always search. She hadn't expected that she would be able to completely stop his hunt for his missing daughter, but she hoped that she could at least convince him to not run himself into the ground doing it. She didn't like seeing him like this - so tired from his search and heartbroken over his loss that he would lean on her for support. She was happy to be this for him when he needed it, but she wasn't used to being strong enough mentally on her own to help others work through things - she was still figuring out her own problems so believing that she could support someone else felt wrong. She smiled a little and was quiet for a moment after he complimented her. She hadn't expected to be successful in this role when it was given to her, but she had wanted to do well so incredibly badly. Sirius and Zee had believed in her when she joined and she wanted to make them proud. Hearing that he was glad that he had become her General made her proud and she hoped it would always stay that way. "I am too," she replied after a small stretch of thoughtful silence. She'd never understand how she ended up here, but she was glad that she had. "You should get some rest," she insisted, giving him a slightly worried look as he continued to rest his head on her shoulder. They all needed to rest and recuperate from the travel they had just done, but Sirius especially. He had gone to the farthest point in their search and had gone through the most emotional turmoil to do it. "Speech"

The Warlord’s possessive nature would never allow those under his protection to be harmed. They were his, and therefore it was his utmost duty to care for, train, and protect them. That was the difference between himself, and the wolves in Tam’s lives. If he had known the extent of what she had gone through in her past, perhaps he would have been more careful professing his possession to her. Or perhaps not, it wasn’t in his nature to hide his nature.

“Good” he said simply to her words. She had worked her way up, and deserved the post. She was now his highest ranking wolf outside of Zee and his heirs, and was proving herself to be a post he could lean on. Both physically, and metaphorically, it seemed.

He chuckled at her words, but didn’t protest. “Alright,” he agreed, and proceeded to lean more heavily on her. He was braced, in case she toppled over, but otherwise, closed his eyes, and breathed heavily, as through sleep claimed him.

The moment she heard how he said "Alright" in response immediately told her that he was up to no good and she had been right. She huffed with a frustrated sigh as he began to lean his wight into her and she struggled to stay up right without falling over under his heavier weight, but she couldn't keep the amused grin off of her muzzle. "Not like this," she complained, a hint of laughter on her tone. Good, at least some of his humor was back. She pushed back against his from in a vain attempt to shove him off of her, but she knew it was no use. He was just too dang big for her to possibly move on her own. "Go get some actual sleep, you stubborn man," she insisted, playfully scolding him with a serious tone that didn't quite reach the amusement in her features. She wasn't sure what the future was doing to hold or how Sirius would feel about all of this tomorrow, but at least she could make him take care of himself - even if it was the last thing she did. "Go on now. Don't make me get Zee out here to drag you back by your ear." It was a hollow threat, but the image it formed in her head was enough to pull a giggle from her all the same. "Talk"

He smiled at her, tucking away much of his pain in the enveloping sense of friendship. “Please, no, anything but that” he groaned, pulling himself back to his feet. Amused that she would consider the threat of Zee a deterrent. He struggled to keep his mind on present things, but a part of him didn’t want her to go. He found himself calm in Tam’s steady presence. He couldn’t promise he wouldn’t rage, and find things to throw in his frustration once she was gone.

He sighed softly, knowing their departure was imminent however. “That goes to you, too. Tamsyn. Get some sleep, we’ll talk more in the morning” he promised her softly. Reaching over to plant one more kiss on the forehead of the smaller wolf. Right between her ears. “Mine.” he whispered with the kiss, and then he was turning around, and heading away again. With each step, his loss weighing more heavily upon him again.