Iona hadn’t slept much after the meeting that the Elephant King and her sister had called.  The fact that there were herd members disappearing from under her very nose was enough to turn the blood in her veins to fire.  She’d spent the night endlessly pacing the spots she knew to be vulnerable in the border - an advantage to having memorized every inch of the Edge from above.  However the night had revealed no evidence and when morning crept over the horizon the darkness clung to its secrets as it faded away into the morning’s shadows. 

The painted woman loathed the feeling of helplessness that had settled in her very bones.  In her mind, there were too many gone for it to be mere coincidence, though she knew better than to assume.  But what she did know is that their knowledge about the whereabouts - and the groups she suspected in the disappearances - were lacking. That, in her mind, was unacceptable.  She would not fail her herd a second time and allow a lapse in information to lead to the disappearance in any more of her herdmates.  

It didn’t take long for her to make up her mind about what was to be done. She was responsible for maintaining safety in the shadows.  That’s what they would do.  The Edge required knowledge of the groups that remained cloaked in shadow, and they needed to flush their missing members from the darkness back to the light. Who better to do that then the spies? Who was better equipped for the this task than the sneaks?

The pegasus re-adjusted her wings at her side.  Since she had not slept, she paced the Edge until it was a socially appropriate hour to call the rank to meet. She had an assumption that none would be motivated to be given a task in the grey hours before dawn.  But the sun had risen above the face of the cliff and was already burning away the early morning mist.  

So in the still morning air, Iona called out for the Sleuths.  

---

Iona waited as patiently as was possible as they came, nodding as they did, before speaking with little fanfare. “As some of you may know, some members of the herd have gone missing. Mauja. Tembovu’s son, Kianzo. Arah. A roan filly reported her mother missing as well, but I’ve yet to confirm the mare’s identity. One search party has already left. With the outcast groups growing bold in their attempts at thievery, it’s not unreasonable to suspect them but I have absolutely no evidence they were involved. That’s our task. We need to obtain more information on these outcast groups while doing our best to locate the missing. That now falls to you. Learn about these groups and track down any leads about our missing members. Bring home any information you think may be useful.”  Iona fell silent then, her green gaze flicking between those who had come. 

“And remember. The rank of Scout is still open,” she added, as an afterthought, but hoping it would provide some degree of motivation. 

“Does anyone have a preference for a land or a region they’d like to patrol, or any questions in general?”

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