Oak Tree Bend Oak Tree Bend Pack Thread

@Serach I hope this is ok. I wanted to do it IC, but didn't think we needed a full thread, just a few posts each ^^

The first snow had begun to fall, and though it had already melted away again, the first breath of winter had done its job. Drestig Avalon had long dreamed of leading his own pack, but until the dream became reality, he hadn't quite realized exactly how much work that entailed. Now he knew. In the last couple of months he had been busier than he could ever before remember, and with so much to see to, it was inevitable that some things would fall by the way side. Ever since his meeting with @Kjors, the then-scout had wanted to travel north and visit that lands of Hearthwood River, hoping to establish an official alliance with the Tainn relatives. Before he could bring the idea up however, Triell had decided to take off on his own mission, leaving Drestig to lead the pack alongside @Spieden. Now on one hand, this meant that he had a lot more say in the matter, but also much less spare time to carry it out. Busy with all his other duties, he had pushed the trip aside, for later. Now Triell was back, and while he had yet to reclaim his post, his presence had relieved a bit of the pressure on the silver tipped Avalon's shoulders. Still, it wasn't until the morning he awoke to a light, white dusting on the ground, that he realized just how late in the year he had gotten. If he wanted to get this affair in order before the snow made it hard - if not impossible - to travel, he needed to get as butt moving. So he had spoken to Spieden, and to @Jessie who would accompany him, and gotten everything ready to start his journey north. But first there was one last thing to do, a promise to uphold. So that morning, after a quick trip along what he deemed the most vulnerable part of the borders, Drestig made his way to the pack den-site, hoping to find a certain young man still there, and not too hurt that it had taken him this long. Keeping his voice in a low tone, so as to not wake the pups and whomever else might still be sleeping, he called: "Serach?" Word count: 374 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

@Drestig

The wind was sharp, nipping and tugging at the wolves' fur mercilessly. During the warmer summer months, the breeze was a welcome relief. Now that the winds of winter was here, Serach was much more inclined to stay curled up than to venture out and about. That morning, he was nestled down in the brush near the pack's main den. His nose was buried into the warmth of his tail and his eyes were closed in rest. But they snapped open when he heard Drestig call out for him. After a moment of weariness and temporary confusion, the boy hoisted himself up to his feet. "Over here," he called out to get Drestig's attention.

Lowering himself down into a stretch, he stifled a yawn before lifting himself back up and trotting over towards Drestig. He hadn't really spoken to or seen the pack's new leader since the pack meeting and the run in with the moose. So as he approached, he couldn't help but tilt his head to the side in a questioning manner. Wonder what's on his mind.

@Serach

Silver-dusted ears twitched when the voice came from an unexpected direction. Drestig turned his head to see the young man emerge from the bushes, a smile cracking on grayed lips. He waved his tail amiably, tilting his own head as if in mirror of the boy's. "A bit cold sleeping out here, ain't it?" The elder man asked in a chatty tone, trying to decide how to go about the subject. He was oddly nervous about this, maybe because he felt like he had let Serach down on this when he first took up leadership. But there was nothing better he could do than bring it back up now, and dragging it out was just gonna make it more awkward; So just man up and get it out! Clearing his throat, the black chap looked to meet his younger counterparts lighter eyes, straining to keep his smile from growing sheepish; "So, I know it's been a while but... Are you still interested in coming along to Hearthwood River?" He almost succeeded in staying chipper, though a touch of tension did carry into his voice. He sighed lightly, but then pressed on, knowing that he needed to own up to this; "I'm sorry it took me so long." There were tons of apologies he could have given, but in the end none of them mattered, and he didn't want to waste time. "But I've been talking to Jessie about heading up there, and if we wanna make it before the snow starts for real, we better get going." The dark wolf straightened up a little now, falling back into his role of leader; "So, if you still want to come, I would really like having you along." He looked at the young man expectantly, hoping that he wasn't bitter about the long wait. Word count: 302 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

@Drestig

Drestig's attempt at small talk fell on deaf ears - Serach could only mutely nod his head. Surely Drestig had not specifically sought him out to comment on the weather. Silently, he continued to look at the leader, waiting for the real reason to come out. He wasn't left waiting long, Drestig was quit to cut to the chase of why he was there. Serach's dull eyes lit up at the mention of Hearthwood River, but dulled again when the request was followed up with an apology. The sting of the pack's meeting and their dismissal of Serach's request had not yet gone away. @Jessie had approached him after the meeting as well, but without Spieden or Drestig's approval, he could not go anywhere on his own in any official capacity. Not that it truly mattered - he had been one paw out the door when Fenru's unexpected revival had shattered those plans completely. Now he was back to his limbo state where he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but he wouldn't turn down the opportunity to go see Kisla and perhaps ask her advice on what he should do.

"I understand," he mustered, lifting his head, biting his tongue to keep the rest of his thought to himself, You were too busy seeing to Darrah to worry about me. "I'd like to go. You should tell @Fenru as well, he'll want to see Kisla again I'm sure." Was it inappropriate to try and deal with family matters while on an official pack mission? Probably, but Serach in that particular moment, the youth had little love for tradition and decorum. "When will we go?"

@Serach

The boy's tension was not lost on his elder, guilty conscience stinging even more as he watched the limit reaction to his question. He knew this was on him, and he struggled to figure out how to fix it, the last thing he had ever wanted was to drop the young man by the wayside; And yet I have... Leadership, it seemed, was harder to juggle than he had thought. Serach did attempt to accept the apology, even if it was with little enthusiasm, and the dark man nodded solemnly, it was better than nothing, and certainly big on the jilted boy's part. Hopefully I can make it up to him... Despite the bitterness, the Donata did agree to come along, and Drestig smiled palely; Perhaps the trip itself could be a first step in bridging the gap. He went on to make a suggestion that caused fiery eyes to widen, brows lifting in surprise; Fenru? He hadn't even thought about the possibility. Spieden had been the one to admit Corinna's son back into the Bend, and since then, the male leader hadn't really had an opportunity to interact much with him. While Fenru had been part of the family when Drestig first joined Oak Tree Bend, the two had never really formed a closer connection. Still, he would like to hear news about Fenru's life, and especially how Arlette was faring; Perhaps the trip would offer a chance? His time was so stretched at the moment. Nodding again, the silver tipped man smiled a little wider, though his eyes remained serious; "I will." Truly, he didn't have a problem with taking Fenru along, should he agree, in fact having him there, just like Serach, could prove an advantage in negotiating with the River leaders; A physical manifestation of the bond that already existed between their packs. Drestig continued to nod to himself, already making plans, tail swishing back and forth at his hocks. The question brought him back to the present, and he focused on the pale lad, lips pursing slightly; "As soon as possible, tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I'll speak with Fenru, and Jessie is coming along as well..." He trailed off, thoughts again circling around plans for the journey; I promised @Spieden we wouldn't be too long... Smiling subtly he added: "We have to hurry if we don't wanna get caught in the snow." Word count: 401 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

I think we can call this done. :)

Serach was still emotionally trying to figure out what Fenru's return meant for him, but he was pleased to know that Drestig was seriously considering his suggestion to invite the older Donata brother. At their reunion, Serach had told @Fenru that @Kisla would want to see him, and now was a perfect opportunity. Not only for the two of them, but for himself as well. He wanted to see how his sister handled Fenru's return. Would she be happy? Would she be upset? Or something in the middle, like him? It would be interesting to find out.

Nodding his head in agreement, Serach gave Drestig a small smile. "I'll be ready," he affirmed, taking a step back and tilting his head back towards his resting spot. "I'll stay close by, until it's time to go." With a real promise of a trip ahead of him, the desire to range afar had been quelled, at least for the time being. With a submissive bow of his head, he stepped back and wandered back over to his tree, where he settled himself back into rest, although his mind was far too busy thinking about the upcoming trip to allow him to sleep anymore.

Spieden huffed and paced. She was a wolf, she couldn't count the days, but she had watched the last of the leaves fall from the branches, the thin moon turn fat again, ice slowly inch across the still waters. Time slowly and steadily marched forward and still Drift was gone. The boy was eccentric to say the least and it hadn't been worrying at first when he hadn't returned to the den. But every night without him hammered in the fact that something must have happened. Spieden had looked at every last inch within the territory, each day widening her search as far as she would dare without leaving the pack defenseless. She'd howled until her voice was coarse and heard nothing back from the wayward cub. 

In her pacing she reached a boulder, turning, stomping back to a tree, turning again, to the boulder and back. Incessant pacing for the sake of lack of sleep, a rarity for her earlybird tenancies, the dark starry sky and it's lovely milky way ignored as her thoughts rushed with ideas, planning the next day's search. Her frustration reaching a crescendo, she sank her teeth into a scrap of rabbit's hide, a cub's toy, violently shaking the dry, cracked pelt until it fell to pieces of skin and fluff.

(This post was last modified: Nov 23, 2015, 04:57 AM by Spieden.)

Open to anyone! Special tags for @Lila, @Mako, @Marina, @Reiko, and @Treyah

Lifting his right hind leg, Serach's foot made contact with the side of his head. His itch relieved, he slumped down onto his side with a satisfied grunt. The sun was warm overhead, with just enough of a chill in the nip of the wind to make it pleasant. Napping in the afternoon sun, nestled in the grass outside of the pack's communal den was one of Serach's guilty pleasures. Since his rise to leadership, he had tried to avoid appearing lazy in front his pack mates, but as the days grew shorter and sunlight more precious, his concern for appearing lazy was disappearing too.

Tilting his head back, he looked upwards and towards the den entrance, listening for the yips and yowls of his youngest pack mates. Spieden had been the first to move her two to the main den, after her birth den had flooded. Aponi had been next, after the encounter with the bear. He had been furious when he found out, and even now, the fur along his back bristled at the thought the bear coming through the pack's territory with so many defenseless wolves around. It was his worst nightmare come to life, and as he propped himself up on his stomach to get a better look into the den, he felt a wave of gratitude that his young charges came out of it unscathed.

Woofing, he waved his tail above his back in an open invitation to play, if any of the pups were up to it.

The communal den was one of her favorite places to be. Activity was always a promise. The other pups just a wiggle away. If she got lucky there was an adult to converse with, or convince to take her for a walk. Though she would not divulge it to anyone, she felt quite safe here. Slept better with others, even if she was never far from Aponi's side.

A faint sigh, she stretched her toes, slowly blinking her eyes. Awake, but still groggy. With every want to do anything, she squirmed toward the entrance. The picture outside became a littler more clear, and she inched a little more.

With large ears cupped forward, surprise lit her face when she spied a familiar, pale form outside. @Serach did not come and rest here often. But, there he was. Gray-blue eyes gleamed with interest as he scratched his head. But, she was not sure what he was up to. There was something about the way momma spoke that said he shouldn't be pestered. She could see those yellow-green eyes looking to the den. Searching. Without thought her tail wagged. At his merry display a giggle sounded, and she climbed into the light. Taking a bow, and giving a yap in turn. Aponi's daughter didn't wait for his move, she charged with one of her one, seeking anything she could get her teeth on.

The shadows shifted and Serach's smile grew as the black form of @Lila emerged from the den. She didn't look anything like @Aponi, but she was cute as all puppies were. They hadn't interacted much, but he had been pleased when Aponi had made the decision to move herself and her youngest daughter to the pack's communal den. She was giggling, a high pitched noise that roused the paternal instincts in Serach's heart and made his own tail wave quicker above his back. As she charged towards him, he couldn't help but laugh - he had acquired a challenger to his game.

The leader was no giant, but as a fully grown male wolf, he was no pushover. But you wouldn't know it by the way he reacted to Lila's charge. He remained flat on his stomach as she ran full-tilt behind him, his ears and lips pulled back in a wolfish smile. As she made contact, he lifted his head so her newly acquired adult teeth didn't grab on to his sensitive ears. Instead, he let her grab ahold of the side of his scruff. "Ahhhh! You got me!" he yelped, falling backwards and to his side. He flailed his legs comically, careful to not hit her. "Mercy, mercy! I give up!"