The Raid King wished to do this right. He wanted to make the pack proud and begin to show the other packs of Boreas that they were a force to be reckoned with. While he would miss Deluge and her merry band of misfits, it would allow room for others to join. New blood meant new ideas and new potential. Whether that would be good or bad was up to them. With all of this on his mind, Gilgamesh leads a group of wolves out to Obsidian Beach. Some may remember it and some may not, but that was the point. He needed to get everyone's perspectives, not just his own.

Standing on the fine grains of Obsidian Beach, he lights a decent-sized bundle of wood. Tossing the lit torch on top of the fire, he steps back to admire his handy work. Fires on the beach were possibly one of his favorite things in life. "So, I need everyone's opinions. What are the pros and cons of us expanding back to Obsidian Beach?" Gil lifts his yellow gaze to glance at each wolf individually.

"speech"

Rivin was here. Here to support Gil, here to be an active member of the Raiders and do everything she could for the pack and herself. Once Gilgamesh lit the fire, she immediately moved closer to the blaze to allow it to warm her body and fight off the cold. Since experiencing it, she had decided that fires were a wonderful necessity and that winters were bullshit. The femme gave a content sigh, her green gaze flicking back to the Raid King. He wanted pros and cons for expanding back to Obsidian beach?

“It’s part of the mainland, which will make getting certain resources easier. Being next to Fern Gulley will help a shit ton, since a plethora of herbs grow there and while I’m trying to cultivate some gardens on the islands, having a bigger source nearby will ensure no one has wounds that get infected or bleed out. Especially given the fact we like to raid.” Rivin grins. “Not the only reasons I’m sure. But the main ones I’d personally go with.”

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Flurry followed after her father, her mind was a whirl with far too many thoughts and she had yet to work up the ability to approach anyone about any of it. But she wouldn't be caught slacking and the least she could do was turn her attention towards the task at hand. She settled herself near the fire, across from her father so she could watch him through the wavering air and smoke, make eye contact while either of them spoke but there was a distance still that felt... well it felt like a buffer which is what she needed right now. Rivin started and stated some of the positives. Flurry cast her gaze up and down the length of the shore and frowned before she too finally spoke. "The beach itself doesn't have much to offer in natural resources we don't already have on the islands though." Saying it out loud felt bad. The beach had been her stomping grounds as a child, she had good memories of her siblings tied here... And maybe that was part of why she was pointing out the negative. The way things were going they were liable to get erased by memories less kind. "Also it being connected to the mainland means there's now a much closer area for others to access our lands, bad actors can reach us much easier and its distance from where the majority of the pack dens means our response times will be longer." Their lands were already pretty spread out and she wasn't sure adding more distance was to their benefit. Not to mention they'd already spent so much time and resources on connecting the Dove Islands to the resort, would they have to use even more of both to add the beach? "Speech"

Art by Honrin

Jael was moving better now, able to make it back to the mainland with some help. Though her steps were tired, a bit shaky, she was doing her best. She knew she could be helpful, useful for something. Her gaze flickered to Gil's face from where she stood on the beach... wanting to be confident it's hard. She knows he knows. "It's dangerous over here... do we have the manpower to commit to patrolling here and all of the islands?" The words are quiet, though Jael is thoughtful as she steps over the soft sand. It gives way beneath her paws and she's... curious. Taking a moment to take everything in.

"It can serve as our foothold on the mainland, though, if we want pasture land someday." The words are thoughtful, her gaze flickering to Gil's face. Being out here was making her a little nervous, as to be expected. At least she feels better under his watchful eye. Though the swim wasn't long, it was tough on her still-recovering endurance. Jael's insight is given gently, a thoughtful expression on her delicate features.

Gil assesses the three females in front of him. His daughter, his new pet, and his... not daughter? He wasn't sure what to call Rivin, but pack mate and friend weren't it. No, he felt a more fatherly emotion toward the girl. Her opinion would be just as important as the other's. And in surprising fashion, she spoke up first. Nodding to her words, agreeing that they definitely needed more resources for supplies, his attention then turns to his daughter, Flurry. Gil nods too at her points. There is a vulnerability to claiming the beach, he knows that. Choosing Daager Isle in the first place had been a risky move all in itself and even the archipelago. Yet, the islands made his wife happy and they would be keeping them for the time being. Plus, other than their current enemy, Gil saw them initiating more of the raids rather than those coming to them.

His gaze moves then to Jael and he nods at her points too. Yes, the pack would grow, surely they would have the capacity to do more patrols. The older wolves who remembered the beach might want to move back to the mainland. Gil decides to address Flurry and Jael's concerns first. "As you all may know, I allow the archipelago to be open to anyone who may come across it. While there are resources there, they aren't of any specialty that wolves could find elsewhere. And until we find possibly greener pastures, the beach will probably remain open as well. The isle is and will always be closed to trespassers without approval," he pauses there and looks at the girl. Unfortunately, the one he would want to make that pointed comment toward was actually planning on separating into her own band anyway.

"As long as we can protect what is ours on the island, I am sure we hold the capacity to have sufficient response times for any danger that may meet us at our doorstep," Gil looks now across the beach. Indeed, many memories had been laid out here and he couldn't say he was entirely eager to claim the beach, but it truly was just a stepping stone to better opportunities as Jael had guessed. "The beach will merely be a way for us to hold onto the mainland until we can reach out farther. If one day, we outgrow the isle, it will help us move onto the mainland easier," he hesitates again. Giving up the isle was one option he didn't want to entertain, but if everyone wished to leave, he would not be a dictator and tell them no.

"Like Rivin said, Fern Gulley is not far. We could move there and to other places. There are the lands Ashen used to inhabit though I wish not to entirely take what was once theirs. Yet, there are some plains as well that we could look into. Thoughts?" Gil poses the question now, leaving the floor open for the ladies to add or subtract to his thoughts.

"speech"

Once she had finished, Flurry, Gilgamesh’s heir would speak up, pointing out that the beach itself didn’t really have much in the way or resources they didn’t already have on the islands. That was true, very, very true. Part of the struggle of being part of an island network. Her next concern was one to consider, but she felt the pros could outway that risk. The Raiders were meant to be fighters, so even if the rest of the pack took longer to gather, Gil would make sure those that were here could hold their own in case anyone else came knocking. But a canine, one she didn’t know the name of, would point out it would be a good start to getting back on the mainland should they wish for it. Hell, they could expand further if this went well. Someday at least.

She closed her eyes, mulling over their points as Gil began to speak again. He seemed to echo her thought that the Raiders could handle it. He would also mention the dog’s name, Jael. “I feel like there are more benefits to expanding. Having a hold on the beach, and having capable fighters here that can hold their own until other Raiders can reach them in case of an emergency protects our islands from one side. I doubt any wolves would be foolish enough to enter from the Briar… and the Hallows don’t seem the type to strike first.” She muses.

“Regardless, attempting to expand would come with risks and spread out forces until we recruit more members to fill the ranks. But more territory also gives us more resources to support those numbers.” And then there was the mention of one of the Plains to address too. “A similar thought comes if we expand to the plains on the other side. It minimizes some of the access to the islands, where we can keep the young and injured.”

"Speech," 'Thought.'

The patrols here... Jael would be the first to admit that she didn't want anything to do with them. Even standing here now made her nervous. Shifting her weight over her paws, head on a swivel. Always looking over her shoulder. Chest tight. Her anxiety was warranted, given what had happened the last time she was here. The Raiders knew this area, many of them having once before called it home. It was familiar to them, known well. She wouldn't deny that it was a promising start.

Moving to a rise in the black sands, Jael would stand atop a dune. The vantage point giving her a better understanding of the land around them, peering curiously in all directions. "Where we go next should be determined by the things we're lacking. What are your biggest imports, what things do the islands not provide?" If they were using the beach as a foothold on the mainland, and they had ample options to move inland, then it would make the most sense to lay out all the data and compare.

Feeling rather exposed on her rise, Jael returns to hover close to Gil's side. Right, still anxious. Doing better, but still anxious.

Flurry chewed on all their words, she wasn't necessarily trying to be stubborn but she really just couldn't understand of all the places to claim why her father wanted this one. "I'm not debating the merits of expanding I'm just-" Flurry sighed. Just what? Confused and a mess was the answer but she wasn't gonna make that Rivin or Jael's problem. Instead she turned her focus to the wolf-dogs question, she noted the way she hung around her father but said nothing about it. What her father did in his free time and who he did it with honestly wasn't any of her concern and of all the things she had fluttering around her head about her father this was one of the least worrying. "Large land prey for one. Crocodiles aren't exactly the safest of hunts." She very much doubted the beach would provide that, with very little vegetation most herbivores would likely not be wandering over this way any time soon. "We have some but I'm sure more land that can be cultivated would probably be appreciated," she glanced at Rivin, "especially anything less prone to flooding and tropical storms." Which again, was not something they'd find here. Flurry frowned, letting her words hang, she was sure she didn't need to say that neither of those would be something they found access to here. The question of if they could defend it aside, was it even worth defending to begin with? There were many places on the shores of Boreas they could have chosen that to her mind seemed much more worth the effort. "Speech"

Art by Honrin

Gilgamesh lets out a humbled snort. The Hallows not strike first? He supposed Artorias might not be the sort, but if worse came to worse, he did know the dire brute would be nothing but willing than to attack when needed. The Raid King keeps quiet though, allowing the females to say their piece. Each had their own concerns and they were all justified.

Claiming the isle and the archipelago had been selfish decisions. An overarching excuse that he wanted to keep his family safe (which wasn’t a lie) but he hadn’t exactly thought of future expansion difficulties until recently. His gaze wanders over the beach, noticing Jael hover closer which he allows. It doesn’t bother him, but he wonders what others… No, not important.

It was time to respond to their queries. “If we can expand back to the mainland, we can end someone out to scout better lands. While this is not a democracy, I also do think it is fair everyone get some sort of say in where we live. If it comes to it that the isle doesn’t work out, it will be easier for us to move if we already have our paw on the mainland,” his eyes move from Rivin down to Jael and then Flurry, the most stubborn of the bunch. She didn’t have to agree, she only needed to understand. “The beach is merely a stepping stone,” Gil smirks lightly, his shoulders shrugging as he hopes that they are picking up what he is putting down.

Jael only relaxes when she's back, hovering by Gil's side. Closer than maybe she would have liked to bring attention to in public, but the very act of standing on the beach left her... worried. Maybe not outright fearful, but certainly not having a good time. Her stomach in knots, as much as she'd fight to conceal it. Jael's gaze was drawn sharply to Flurry as she spoke, though. Squinting for a long moment at the girl. "In what world are crocodiles prey?" Unsure she'd be willing to accept much of the girl's further insights, at that rate.

"I like the beach as a means to an end." The words come with a nod. As long as they can get off the beach and go back home sooner rather than later, she'd be fine. They could have the beach. Jael looked over her shoulder once more, weight shifting over her paws. Gaze flickering across the group that had gathered, it seemed that Gil's own daughter would be the most resistant. Still, she was outnumbered, and it seemed Gil's plan held water well enough.

She listened, her gaze lingering on Flurry the longest. She hadn’t meant for the other girl to feel like her opinion was wrong, or being ignored. Her green eyes watched her, reading her expression, listening to the points she made. Then her gaze flicks to Gil as he speaks, and then finally to the dog lingering close to him. “I think that the fact crocodiles are not typically prey and dangerous is what Flurry is getting at. We don’t exactly have large mammals running around the islands and while fish is plentiful, it takes far more of those or other small game to feed a pack.” Her gaze flicks from Jael to Flurry, an acknowledgement of her concerns before her green gaze flicks back to Gilgamesh.

“I like the idea of treating it as a means to an end. Once we hold the beach, we can always have volunteers go out to scope other lands for resources and benefits. I’d be happy to go along with anyone who wanted to do so - there are some herbs that don’t favor the sandy soils after all.” It was an offer at least. What the Raid King decided to do with that offer was up to him. If she was going to gather herbs elsewhere anyway, she might as well look at some other resources, right?

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Flurry was making a fool of herself, and she was starting to think she ought to have just kept her mouth shut. Her gaze swinging downwards as the wolf-dog questioned her and she shuffled awkwardly. If her self-confidence hadn't been pretty firmly in the trash right now she might have pointed out that was her point but she was already much too focused on not disappointing her father. Any further than she already did at least. Still she cast a small grateful smile at Rivin as the other girl came to her defence. "A stepping stone has its merits." Flurry said, by way of agreeing that it would serve, she didn't have to like it. She could have all her doubts but at the end of the day Flurry knew there was no changing her father's mind. "I can live with that." She shrugged. "I guess advanced warning from scouts or wolves on the mainland isn't without it's utility." Her voice was softer as she spoke this time. "Speech"

Art by Honrin