Sunrise was always beautiful over the fields. In autumn its light had made the golden grasses shine, and now it glittered in the fresh snow. The king had no time to enjoy it though, his mind entirely too full of anxious thoughts. Taking time and thinking it all over had done nothing to ease his worries, it didn't change things. And it was high time the rest of the pack learned where things stood, he didn't want for anyone to accidentally make things worse; Or get hurt..! Agreement or not, he didn't trust Whitestone, and he wanted to protect his family at all cost.

So today it would be, as the sun cleared the horizon, he sought out @Jessie knowing that this what something they needed to do together. And together they went to the center of the territory, taking a seat in front of the pond, facing the woods. Face solemn and brows furrowed, Drestig shared a silent look with his partner, his heart heavy with what they had to tell. Then he leaned back his head and called the pack together, not for a hunt this time, but a meeting, their first official meeting, and it wouldn't be a happy one.

Word count: 203

Askan snarled and dug his feet into the snow. He wasn't going to back down or give in, not when so much was at stake. Not when he'd promised that he would give this his all. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things it didn't matter all that much, that it might even be pretty inconsequential, but it mattered to Askan. There was no way in hell that he was going to lose a game of tug-of-war to a damn kid. Percy or no, she was going down. She was going to taste the bitterness of defeat one way of another!

With an ironclad resolve, Askan tightened his grip on the sturdy branch and heaved himself back a couple of steps, dragging Percy along with him. To her credit, she was holding her own, she wasn't making this easy for Askan. But as enthusiastic as she was, Askan was both older and stronger, it was only a matter of time before her grip failed and he could claim the title of victor.

Or at least that was the plan, till he heard a call ring through the woods.

Dropping the branch, Askan turned and stared in the direction of the summons, ears perked and his eyes wide. Drestig? To Askan's relief, the call  didn't have an overwhelming sense of urgency to it. The Rye King wasn't warning them that they were in mortal danger, or something of the like, but at the same time he wanted them to come to him sooner rather than later. It was important, it had to be otherwise he wouldn't have called for them like this. So what was it? What had happened? Askan couldn't help but worry, but as always he made an effort not to let it show.

"Come on kid, your dads calling."

And so, the two of them galloped out of the woods into the wide open space of the field. By the time the duo arrived, it seemed as though the Rye King and Queen had been waiting a while. They sat in front of the pond, their expressions grim and troubled. It appeared as though Askan had been right, something was wrong.

Rather than asking what was wrong, Askan simply nodded to his alphas in greeting and sat himself down. There was no point in asking, they would explain the situation when everyone was present. For now he had to wait.

He was pleased to see them all arrive promptly, first Askan and Percy, sending a bittersweet sting through the king's heart; So much strife… All he'd ever wanted for his family was peace. But as Adelayde joined them, it was clear that would never happen. Her injuries were looking better, but the marks were still clear on her face and it made anger flare in the dark man. He hid it as best he could, giving the girl a kind smile at her greeting, but within he was seething. What Craw's minions had done to the cheerful girl was savage, even if her injuries hadn't been severe, it was still bad enough to scare her from going out again. He was so indignant on her behalf in fact, that he shot his daughter a warning look for her rude gesture; Normally he found her spirit endearing, but the snapping teeth felt too close to home considering the circumstances.

His attention was on the issue at paw though, and once Icicle joined them, it didn't take long to get to business. Drestig allowed his partner to speak first, frankly not wanting to upset her more by messing up. She'd been cold and distant since there trip, aside from Sahalie's visit, and he knew she'd been thinking hard on their troubles. Moving straight to the point, as expected, Jessie laid out the facts with harsh honesty, but passed the stage before going into specifics; Leaving Drestig to start the reprimand. He hated being the bad guy, giving commands and chastising his pack members, his family. But it was part of leadership as much as everything else, and it needed to be done, for the best of them all. Ember eyes settled on Adelayde again, her marred face spurring him on; "We want to emphasize that the Lowlands are neutral grounds. As long as they're not threatening to cross our borders, anyone has as much right to be here as us and should be treated civilly!" His eyes moved over each pack member as he spoke, finally landing on Askan. The leader did not want to blame his second for acting in defense of the pack, but he couldn't ignore what the Monadnock leaders had said; For the best of everyone..!

Flashing his teeth in a cold smile, Drestig continued with a general warning, saving any further chiding for once the others had been dismissed; "These northerners cannot be trusted, but we want to avoid conflict. If you run into them, be polite, I don't expect you to roll over for anyone, but there's no need to be rude, hm?" One silvered brow quirked slightly, gaze again brushing Askan before falling on Percy, sitting proud by his side. Again the father felt his chest tighten, the words of those rock-bastards burning clearly in his mind. He swallowed, keeping his voice steady as he continued: "I want you to avoid going north as much as possible, and when you do go out into the Lowlands, travel in pairs if you can. That means always for you!" He made sure to meet his daughter's eyes cleanly, voice and face stern, he wanted her safe at all costs. Once that was settled he lightened a bit, raising his head to look out over all of them; "I don't want to cower or grovel for these pompous pricks, but I want everyone safe. That matters the most to me, so use your heads out there!" There it was. No doubt Jessie would find his words unprofessional, but it was important to him that they all understood, not just what was at stake, but his reasoning behind the orders. Then she could add whatever other commands she might find necessary. But first: "If you have any questions, let's hear, don't hold back your thoughts!"

Word count: 636

Thoughts ”Speech”