(OOC: (four total) must come together and discuss the pack expansion (3 rounds from each participant). Note the potential challenges to expanding into a new territory, as well as the benefits and drawbacks.)

They had seemingly all come to the same conclusion. If they were going to grow, they needed more room to spread their roots. Sedna sat at the edge of the oaks, where some sunlight still broke through the dense canopy and a breeze from the Swallet swept away some of the earthy, dusty, oppressive air. She could appreciate this place, secluded like their bamboo and full of nooks and crannies for the elusive members of Tojo to melt away into into. It had a variety of game, and herbs they couldn’t find locally elsewhere, and traders rarely made it this far south. But it had its drawbacks too. A problem like this needed more than one set of eyes looking over it.

She called for her packmates to gather their thoughts. She had broached the matter with Hattori already, though she would welcome his input again. It was time to consider this with some seriousness.

“Speech”

home is where you are loved the most and act the worst

Kuroo was more than willing to help out with the expansion into the oaks. Having done his due diligence with those nasty swans, he was interested when Sedna called out to the pack. He had just gotten finished plucking the swan they had hunted when her call reached him at the bay's shore. Covering the bird's body and tucking it away in the shack, Kuroo made his way with hasty paws toward Sedna's call. Through the brush, over and under fallen logs, and doing his best not to scare the prey away, he approached with a placid expression.

"Is it time to discuss the expansion?" Kuroo asked as he took a seat on the mossy ground. Noticing he was the first to arrive for the group, he took a moment to get comfortable. When he glanced around, he did enjoy the area. Like the maze, the oaks provided plenty of shade and security. There were prey and little predators minus the occasional grizzly. Not many traveled this far south anyway and if they didn't know where they were going, getting lost within the towering trees would be easy. As he looked up to the canopy, he noticed that it would be a great place to set traps if they utilized companions that could reach those heights.

Tojo Pack Intel Expansion

Tachi was young but he liked to think he was smarter than most. He didn't leave the bamboo much, didn't really see a reason to, but if they had to settle somewhere new then this place would work quite well, or so he reckoned. Tojo liked to be left alone so it made sense to claim another territory that was all dark and shady, with plenty of nooks and crannies to keep things stored away in. Out of sight and mind. The Swallet Ring could have worked, but it was a little too open and it wasn't like they needed even more room to fish.

There were plenty of paths and routes for loners and non Tojo wolves to skirt around the territory too, no one was being cut off from the coast. And the land here connected to the Bay quite nicely too, a tidy corridor for their use only.

"What's the problem with this place then?" Tachi asked, wondering if they could see something he couldn't.

Word had gotten around that Tojo might be expanding in a nearby territory. There were a number of things to consider. For one did they have enough warriors to defend the larger territory? There would definitely be an advantage in having more hunting land and additional resources if they could keep it secure. Áskell had been doing his own scouting when he heard Sedna calling for her pack mates. Ahh, it seemed they were on the same train of thought. Áskell quickly shifted his course to zero in on the location of Sedna's call, the Ancient Oaks.

He arrived and nodded to Sedna, Kuroo and Tachi. "Is this the land we're for sure planning to expand into or is it one of the candidates?" He wanted to know for sure what he needed to be considering and if there were comparisons needing to be drawn between multiple territories.

Sedna was pleased for the presence of Kuroo and she gave him a reaffirming nod when he asked if this was to discuss the expansion. Otis was unpacking his satchel and laying out a variety of herbs the healers had gathered, and they were soon joined by Tachi and Askell. When the latter asked if this was for sure the land they would expand into, Sedna shrugged. “‘S one o’ th’ candidates, but as a healer, I have ter say it’s th’ most promisin. It offers different soil ter th’ bamboo, givin’ us a wider range o’ growin’ options and a greater variety of healin’ herbs, an’ a ready supply of poisons. It’s got cover ter spare, it’s easy ter disappear inter if we don’t want ter be seen. What o’ huntin’ an’ predators though?” She turned to the other gathered wolves, waiting to see if they had any objections to the things that she saw as positives, or any other enlightening considerations she may have overlooked.

“Speech”

home is where you are loved the most and act the worst

Áskell did his best to listen through Sedna's accent as she explained that this land was just a simple candidate and not their new home for sure. He set about sniffing around, trying to get a sense of the place. He knew little of healing and would leave that assessment up to Sedna. Predator's he had more experience of and he was swift to note the scent of coyote and deposit of scat. He wrinkled his nose. "Looks like there are coyotes about but I don't think they're a deal breaker. Any land with decent prey will attract predators. We can chase them off and once they realize there's a wolf pack to compete with they may search elsewhere." There certainly seemed to be plenty of foliage and food for prey species here though he'd let someone else comment to the prey potential or lack there of.

Kuroo watched as Askell and young Tachi arrived to help Sedna with scouting the oaks. While he was like Askell and had difficulty understanding Sedna at times, he was getting used to it. Listening intently as his pale eyes wandered around the tall trunk that surrounded them, he nodded in agreement to her words and Askell's. Glancing momentarily over to Tachi to see if the pup had any input, Kuroo decided he would add something first. "We recently went out hunting and found some large swans. I've seen deer and pig tracks as well on my way in so there seems to be plenty of prey opportunity as well," he adds confidently before turning once more to Tachi. "Have you noticed anything, Tachi?" Kuroo asks with a brotherly smile. He was trying his best to get to know and bond with his half-siblings as hard as it felt some days.

Tojo Pack Intel Expansion 2/3

Had he noticed anything in these parts? He racked his brain for a moment, his orange gaze scanning their surroundings, he noticed the grooves in the trees. Some hallowed out with more than enough room to store things, maybe with a bit of work they could be made comfortable enough for den sites too? Just in case some folks didn't feel like sleeping in the maze, for whatever reason. "Lots of space to store stuff in the trees. Could even use some of the trees as vantage points to look out at the surrounding territories." He imagined his little sister Fuji would be good at the whole climbing thing, little pink beast she was.

Áskell listened quietly as the others spoke and nodded his agreement at the mention of potential prey. He padded around the base of some of the oaks, noting a number of curious, shade-loving plants growing beneath the sheltering limbs. There was some canine type scat around and he wrinkled his nose. "Hmm… seems there are some other canids about. Not coyotes, not wolves… I can't tell too much but it seems there may be a pack of them nearby. They'll need to be cleaned out if we want to lay claim to this land." He was perfectly fine with that. It would be good practice for the warriors and he didn't want to turn tail just because other predators had settled into an area.

There seemed to be a whole lot of positives to the suggestion and the only negative seemed to be another pack of canines. Well, the warriors would have no problem driving them off she was sure, and she was more than willing to put her own body on the line to fight for what they wanted if it came to that too. “If there aren't any objections, I reckon we should let Tori know, an' organise a time ter drive off these canines yer mentionin'.” There wasn't necessarily a rush on claiming the land, but the way packs were prone to popping up all over the place, the sooner they made their move the better.

“Speech”

home is where you are loved the most and act the worst

-intel expansion 3/3-

Kuroo was proud to be a part of Tojo-kai. As he stood there with the others, he knew that expanding out into the forest would be a good idea. No doubt Askell and the other warriors could drive out the canids he mentioned. And Tachi was right. When he looked up at the massive oaks, Kuroo had no doubt that he could easily string up fish to store or Fuji could find her way up into the branches. "We should inform Kaicho sooner than later," he mentioned as he brought his gaze down from the canopy. Recently he had noticed another pack scent off to the west. Just past the cathedral when he had gone out hunting last with Usagi. What with the Hallows expanding into the groves, there was no telling if a fourth pack would pop up eventually...

Tojo Pack Intel Expansion 3/3

Tachi reckoned they could all take the dogs on here and now, but he supposed the Kaicho should know. He was the boss and all, what he said went. They'd gathered a lot of info so as far as he was concerned this was a successful venture. In time the Oaks would be theirs. They needed the room and a change of scenery would be good for the pack, it was all good things from here on out. Their family relied on one another, didn't need any outside help to get stuff done. As long as they all stuck together things would be fine, better than ever, probably.

"Last one to the Bamboo smells like a rotten egg!" He yelled, turning tail and running.