Storm Runner & Others

The long flight from the ranch was an even longer jog for the two wolves who were following after Storm Runner. He could have made it here in the fraction of the time it would normally take him, but he was forced to slow down his flight and stop frequently to wait amongst tree branches and the odd fence post so Karai and her son Tunga could catch up. Eventually though, the pair would step out of the last cluster of trees and find themselves a few dozen yards from the quietly lapping banks of Pike's Lake.

Storm alighted on the edge of a partially overturned canoe resting near the shore, one that had enough holes along its side and vegetation creeping up through its cracked seams to suggest it had been abandoned there quite some time ago. "Over here." The falcon chimed quietly with another one of his peculiar little head-bobs, while shuffling sideways down the length of the canoe, until he was perched at one end, and craning his head out over the edge to peer at the unnatural shelter it had created.

The pups must be in there. Tunga thought to himself as he followed his mother. Curious as he may be to see the youngsters, his guard was definitely up after all that Rihanne had said. In fact, the light-colored brute would be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous right now, and half expecting this 'Ankh' fellow to come charging out at them. Might this be an ambush, even...? Tunga didn't allow himself to entertain those thoughts for long - he had to be alert and attentive to Karai's orders, and that's precisely what he did. Ears were perked, nose quivering at ever scent, and eyes searching, the young wolf watched his surroundings carefully, and only let his curiosity draw his gaze towards the overturned canoe once they were close enough to get a good look at what lay beneath it.

Inside were three pups, looking to be no more than two months old, perhaps less. Cloaked in shadow and curled up around each other, it was hard to get a good idea for their condition and general appearance, but Tunga could see that one was white, and two were varying shades of gray.

Karai

Despite the fact that the journey was long, and Karai was not nearly so young as she had once been, she never called a halt to their trip, instead keeping up gamely in the mile-eating jog of the wolf she was. She wasn't as able to endure as her much sturdier, much younger son, but though her gait was slower than what he or Storm could have traveled by themselves, she kept up admirably, and arrived in fairly good time to the site in question, though certainly Storm at least would feel differently. When they finally drew near to the shoreline though, she was surprised by what she saw... or rather, by what she did not see. "Where is the pack?" Surely, as this was Ankh's daughter they were dealing with, these pups were at least marginally a part of the Lurkers; Karai wasn't particularly worried, because she had rather strong connections to the original Lurkers through Moon Spirit, and a number of the pups she had fostered before, as well. But to see no one at all, not even... "Where is their mother?" She gave a suggestive glance to Tunga, to tell him without speaking that she wanted him to remain back a bit and keep an eye on the area, just in case this was a trap; she thought it exceedingly unlikely, given her friendly-neutral status with almost all factions and packs here in the valley, but she knew that it had been some time since she'd been in the wild lands... perhaps they had forgotten her. It wasn't all that hard to believe. So she put him on guard with just that look, and then inched forward to peer under the edge of the canoe... and then her heart softened, as tiny balls of fluff always made it do. Still though, she was disturbed to find that she still could not see their mother; her nose was working to try to pick up the scent of anyone else that might be lingering on the pups, even as she noted that she couldn't see the pups very well. "Where is their mother?" she repeated, and this time more keenly.

Storm Runner & Others

Contrary to his apprehension at the ranch, Storm Runner showed little of that fear here, and remained almost at eye-level with Karai as he sat at the edge of the half-turned canoe. "Members of the pack are within close range. The pups have not been left unguarded." That revelation made Tunga tense a little. He'd stopped when his mother gave him the silent cue to remain back, and now he looked around more vigilantly than before, but without being able to spot any of the supposed Lurkers hiding around the lake. Or did Storm mean they were within calling distance? Either way, Tunga didn't feel exactly comfortable with it, and like his mother, found it bizarre that the three pups were left alone like this, even if there purportedly were guards in the area. "Their mother is not here." No explanation for that was given, but Storm did flick his head to the side and look upwards at a white pine that towered beside the derelict canoe. Higher up in the branches was the shape of a massive raptor of indiscernible breed, one easily large enough to defend the three young pups from most creatures that might otherwise do them harm. To Tunga, who couldn't quite see through all those pine needle to get a great view of the bird, it looked a little larger than Zhenerh. Atop the canoe, Storm went on, "Ankh has entrusted me to periodically check on on their progress, until their parents are able to look after them again. For your help Karai, you will have Ankh's assistance if ever you should need it in the future." Silently, Tunga wondered why Ankh hadn't volunteered to look after his grandchildren, but he kept that inquiry to himself. The falcon went on, "They are not completely weaned, but are old enough to take meat. The male is Krush, the white one is Ahina, and the gray female is Umai."

Karai

Even the thought that the pups had not been left without protection still didn't make this situation any stranger to Karai; no matter what faction they were from or what hard times they'd fallen on, she'd met dozens of young mothers - and old ones - who had never left their pups unattended like this... unless they'd been suddenly killed. "I can see that she is not here, Storm Runner," she replied quietly, her voice stern, but not sarcastic as some others might have spoken that. "Your words do not answer my question. In fact, they avoid it. So I'll ask it a different way... what has happened to their mother?" Nevertheless, despite her suspicions, she'd come here to ensure these pups were taken care of. "Well, I'm certainly not staying here with them in such an open and obvious place where the mere draft alone would kill them." And with that resolve in her mind, there was nothing to do but reach in and nudge the little pile of furry bodies with her nose, before reaching to take hold of Krush. "Tunga... come here and take him. We'll take them home to the den." To Storm Runner, she said, "You can perform your 'visits' there, but use caution... Elderwild does not take kindly to other birds in her territory."

Storm Runner & Others

A great rustling of wings from the raptor in the tree above made Storm Runner flinch and Tunga looked up suddenly, even though both had been aware of the bird's presence. With a wingspan longer than the average human was tall, the creature coasted down from his lofty perch and landed on the canoe, causing the dilapidated vessel to lurch and creak with the sudden weight against it. Tunga held his ground despite a strong desire to either scuttle back or lunge forward to protect his mother; something about this eagle was very familiar, and it dawned on the young male as soon as the hybrid eagle cocked his ruddy brown head at the mother and son - this was one of Zhener's offspring. "The mother is ill." He said, taking the reigns from Storm Runner to address Karai and her concerns. The much smaller raptor quirked a sharp look at his companion, but Zhener's son ignored it. "She is fearful that her pups may become ill as well, and that is why she is not here with them. There is also the matter of her mate's disappearance, as Storm mentioned." Tunga shifted his front paws uneasily, but had to admit that this detail made a little more sense. True or not, the fact still remained that the pups needed someone to look after them, and Karai was not going to let them down. Tunga padded forward at her request, taking the small pup from his mother. Krush went instinctively limp in the wolf's hold, leaving his two sisters to cuddle together and look up at Karai in hesitant fear, not knowing who this female was, and why their mother hadn't come back for them.

Karai

The only one who didn't seem startled by the sudden choice of the raptor to take flight was Karai, but then she'd had enough contact with Zhener that even the large predator birds didn't particularly bother her, even when they moved suddenly; and of course, when the creature landed on the canoe and she got a good look at him, she smiled around the scruff of the pup in her mouth. As she handed Krush off to her son, she turned a pleasant facade to the bird. "That does make more sense; it is a true mother who would sacrifice her longing to be with her pups for their own benefit." To keep herself from grinning a little more broadly than would be appropriate at realizing just who this bird must be though, she bent and tucked her nose back beneath the canoe, and spoke quietly to the little females. "Not to worry, little ones; we're just going to go have a little adventure until your mother gets back. We're going to go stay at my den for a while, and I bet my children will be glad to see you; Reiki loves to play." So saying, she reached for the two females, and then pulled up to address the raptors again, offering a nod to the larger one and speaking strangely deftly around a mouthful of fur. "Tell your father hello for me, and ask him to drop by and visit... it's been too long since he visited. Have you got Krush, Tunga?"

Storm Runner & Others

Either through larger size or greater authority, it seemed that this eagle had taken up the discussion now, leaving Storm Runner at the sidelines. The large bird's razor-eyed gaze was upon Karai, as if quietly studying the wolfess, though he said nothing in response to her remarks on the absent mother. It was the two pups underneath the canoe that made noise, first coming from the little gray female, Umai, "Momma?" She wasn't mistaking Karai for her parent, either - she was seeking reassurance from her missing dam. Ahina ducked back a little against her sibling and squeaked as Karai scooped them both up, "Cedar..?!" The raptor above them turned his head and peered over the edge of the boat, "You will be fine, Ahina. Karai will take care of you until your parents return." Ahina didn't take too much comfort in those words at the moment, but she and her sister didn't struggle when they were pulled up from their makeshift den and held aloft from Karai's jaws. The eagle's head swiveled back to the silver wolfess, and a knowing smile glinted in his dark, expressive eyes, "Aye, he was wanting to check up on you. I will relay the message." Tunga took the raptor's words to heart this time, and felt significantly better about this situation now that Zhener had been brought up. Ankh, he was leery of... but Zhen and his children could be trusted. "Got him."

Karai

With her mouth full of the two little females, it was difficult to carry on too much conversation, but she did give Cedar a short nod and a smile to indicate that she appreciated his agreement to deliver the message to his father. "Tell him to mind himself though; he's got Elderwild outsized, I think, but she's a fierce thing, and she certainly gave Storm here a bit of a narrow path to walk. And I don't think she'd quite appreciate some of your father's more... unique qualities." She knew she didn't have to define that for Cedar, and with that, she shuffled her paws so that she was sure she was steady on the ground before she would take off up the hill on the way back to the ranch. "I will look forward to his visit. Come, Tunga." And then, as quickly as that, she was gone.