The sun shone brightly over the green earth as a family of wolves shifted around the entrance of a den. A chorus of birds set a bright mood for the scene as they sung their hearts out. Wispy white clouds could only be seen on the horizon as the massive blue sky dominated the heavens above. A hawk screeched high up in the bright blue as it wheeled around on a warm draft of air. A gray she wolf breathes deeply the scents of the beautiful day while looking around the meadow for danger. Her birthing den was situated at the edges of a thin strip of trees separating the marsh from the meadow. So she had a clear view of all the meadows inhabitants from where she stay while the rest of the pack was at their backs. Deep inside these trees the main den where the rest of her pack lay could be found away from the light of day. The gray woman had used this very same den once before when birthing her first litter Titan, Malia, and Yuka. Now it held her second litter.

The pups had long since overgrown the birthing den. The small earthen hole could barely fit Narimé along with her children and because of this she had decided to make today moving day. They would only be getting bigger from here on out, and it was high time that they begun sleeping around the rest of the pack. So she had told them that they were going for a walk to look around outside when in reality the she wolf was moving them to the main den.

Nari had her children walking behind her, though they would occasionally dart off in another direction or stop distracted by something. Their curious voices were mixed with a few whines that let Nari know that not everybody might be happy with the move. She had to keep on guard looking for dangers whilst also making sure the pups stayed near her as they traveled. It was rather hard to do to be honest.

”We are finally here kids.” She said while rounding the corner of a well forested hill. The mouth of the cave was set into the hill which hid it from view of anyone looking from the other three directions. It could only be seen if it was viewed from the open entrance facing the north. The woman figured that once the pack figured out the pups were now joining them in the main den, that they would visit the den for a while to see them. Thinking of everyone being in one place for once made her think of something like a meeting. This thought of course reminded the she wolf that a pack meeting had not occurred for a long time. Maybe it's a good idea to do one now? She thought quietly while keeping an eye on where the pups wandered and listening to whatever questions they might have. Then she sat quietly for a moment thinking about information that would be given during a meeting. Surely Deacon, who had come back from his scouting mission, would have some information to share with Ash and herself as well as the rest of the pack. Plus she had to mention how Borden and Jaysyek had started up Grizzly Hollow again. Maybe one of the others would know where Alexynik had gone off to or had seen her recently. Nari was sure Ash had information he probably wanted to let the Deacon or Yuka know about. It was about time that they had a gathering of some kind. Maybe Nari could even get Deacon to do a little job for her too.

The gray wolf looked fondly over @Nineva, @Rose, and @Korrin as the pups looked around. Then she lifted her silver crown and let out a howl. ”@Ash, Alexynik, @Yuka, @Deacon please come to the den for a little while!” her howl rung out through the trees and echoed off the cavern walls until she finished. Then her head lowered, her lips closed, and her eyes fell back onto the pups. ”We are going to see the rest of the family okay? It's going to be fun.” She growled playfully while her tail wagged back and forth at the sight of them there finally in the main den.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

He could not have asked for anything more. His wife was beautiful and they had three healthy children. Yuka was becoming extremely successful at…whatever he was doing – hiding Ash assumed. Deacon had proved himself more than worthy of being loyal to their family. The only thing that bothered Ash was the lack of presence of the woman who Ash had seen lurking near the birth den when Nari had given birth. The Guardian had not sensed her nor seen her since that day and her scent slowly began fading from the borders. He could care less, it was Narimè he worried about. The female had been the only other one in the pack, aside from the children, and the Hervok felt like his little flower deserved some female company every once and awhile. Well….that and he did not like the thought of the only others to talk to in the pack were male, even if it was only her son and Deacon. The fact was, their numbers were low and they desperately needed to bring them back up. Recruiting would be a must and the Hervok wanted to ensure the safety of his whole family…or at least, what was left of it.

So when Nari requested his presence, along with the rest of the pack, it did not take Ash long to realize what was happening. How foolish of him to not be there when his children first excited the den! He cursed himself mentally, berating himself for not being there. He wanted to be there for the first time. His amendment would be showing up quickly! He wasted no time in hurrying towards where his mate had called, her beautiful voice a complete siren to him. Sometimes it irritated him to remember that he had promised to never love again and now here he was, with a family, one that had not left him. He could not be luckier. So, he was quick to make his way towards Nari when he arrived, placing a gentle, light kiss on her check, his mossy green eyes resting on their children as they squirmed about. He could not have been a luckier man and it was all because of the woman standing in front of him.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Each step farther they took away from the familiar, the more excited Nineva grew. Not only was she out along a new track, taking in strange sights and sounds, but she hadn't had to sneak away to do it. All of them except for her father were there, her siblings joining her on this adventure for once without whining while their mother watched over them and guided them. The little girl did her best to stay on the path the elder woman was carving out for them, but occasionally something stimulating would entice her senses and pull her away from them. It would take either a single word from her mother or a gaggle of usherings from her brother to get her back on track.



When finally they arrived, Nineva was nearly disappointed. The trip was over already? But there mother promised more, and seconds later her father arrived. Her stubby tail was going wild, whipping back and forth with such force that it dragged her rump along with it as her tiny paws danced in place. The whimpering complaints of her sister reached her ears then, and nearly stopped all of this motion that consumed her, but instead the little girl rolled her mismatched eyes and chose to ignore the scaredy pup next to her.



Just as swift as her father, another adult broke through the foliage to enter the clearing, a young man who was familiar but who had not yet officially met with Nineva nor her siblings. His attention immediately turned to Rose, and this annoyed the gray whelp more than her sister's whining had. Just as she was about to bustle her way into the conversation and steal the spotlight, however, she heard a crackling of branches and turned to see a familiar, scarred face.



A tiny grin took its place upon her muzzle as she immediately toddled after the brother she didn't quite have reason to like so much. It was something about how unconventional he was, so different from mother and father that drew her in. Nineva would always be drawn to the unknown out of her thirst for learning. He was keeping himself a noticeable distance from the rest, his features partially obscured in shadow, but she didn't mind the walk.



"Hi Yuka! I'mma sit wit you," she declared, and brought her chubby butt to a stop just in front of his paws.

faestock @DA, Whimseystock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

The time had come where the pups were finally moving out of the den. It made Korrin happy, for he was tired of always being squished by his sisters. Still, it made him feel slightly queasy inside too. He was perfectly comfortable with the circle of wolves that surrounded him - his parents and his sisters. It was familiar, normal. The pup wasn't shy, he could go and meet the other wolves of the pack, but he just didn't want to. As they traveled alongside their mother, Korrin couldn't help but internally fret. It wasn't the worries that Rose proclaimed, like if the pack didn't like her. Korrin was worried they would want to strike up a conversation and be friends. He didn't like strangers, for strangers were bad. But they were pack, family in a sense. Maybe it was okay to socialize with them too, and trust them like he did his parents.

They stopped atop a hill and Korrin eyed the cave curiously. It was very big, and that made the boy smile slightly. He listened to his mother call his father and the others, and while she did he moved to Rose's side and nudged her gently with his shoulder, giving her muzzle a bump against his in encouragement. He was her big brother, and though she could be annoying at times, she was truly worried about meeting the rest of the pack. That didn't sit right with him. They would like her. Who wouldn't? Suddenly, his father was there and the boy hurried towards the large man. Bumping his muzzle against his form, he excitedly pawed at his form, keeping his balance on wobbly legs. The boy clearly wanted to play, but suddenly a man he didn't recognize appeared and turned his attention to Rose. His gaze narrowed, but he figured that his little sister was in no danger, especially with their father there, so he dismissed the man.

His attentive gaze narrowed even further as he saw Nineva head to a dark patch a bit of a walk from where they were. He rolled his  eyes. His ever curious sister was up to trouble once again, and as her brother, he needed to make sure to follow her and see what she was up to.  Glancing at his father, the boy walked towards where his older sister had gone. "Ninnie," he hissed when he got close, ready to bring her back. He was stronger than her anyway. But then he noticed the large, scary man she sat in front of. Though the larger wolf intimidated him, Korrin didn't show any fear on his face. His gaze narrowed as he looked up at the man, and his muzzle scrunched up in concentration. Was this Yuka, the older brother he heard his parents talk about? Finally, Korrin opened his maw. "Don' hur' Ninnie." He stared at his brother more, and then satisfied his point had gotten across, the boy moved to sit beside him. Not smiling, but his tail wagging slightly, he looked up at Yuka again. "I'm Korrin," he said, not realizing that he was stealing his older sister's spotlight. Now that he was sure Yuka wouldn't hurt Nineva unless he wanted to see his dad angry, he wanted to know more about this brother of his. After all, brothers had to stick together, especially with his sisters gaining most of his parents attention. Korrin didn't mind though, he liked not having the constant attention of his parents so he could enjoy the solitude he was quickly becoming fond of.

 
”Speech”

ConvulsionStock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

This round ends 8/15/2015

They were few, and scattered throughout the territory mostly, but eventually the pack came together. Nari was both concerned and pleased with its members. Consisting mainly of her own blood now, the little pack was becoming rather aggressive to outsiders instead of accepting of them. Though they would always accept those who proved themselves to the caverns wolves, and their allies children were always welcomed. Nari would have no problem if one day her pack was led by one of her children wedded to one of their allies.

The queen had her king @Ash beside her, a strong alpha and caring father. Then Yuka of course arrived on time. His strong form, despite the scarring, made her more proud than anything. Deacon also arrived quickly causing Nari to draw a fine smile across her face. He was turning out to be a very good wolf for the pack to depend upon. Nari hoped that the Archer boy would choose to better himself within the pack, even if her son Yuka was in the way. Her children of course were already with her, and their comments and actions did not go unnoticed by the silver woman. She wagged her tail while turning her head to look at @Rose, the only pup to stay beside her, and gave the red fluff ball a tender smile.

”Yes, look and see your older brother over there, and Deacon.” Nari answered her daughter while watching Nineva skip on over to Yuka. She gestured to the two males for Rose before sighing softly. Secretly Nari was glad that Yuka had obviously spent some time with @Nineva. She only hoped that he began to spend more time with his other younger half siblings. She chuckled when @Korrin also headed over to the ghostly older male and tried to intimidate him.

”They will adore you... All will love your beauty.” She replied to Rose's second question before licking the child's ear gently. Then she licked at Rose nose as the child whimpered unsure of herself in this new place. The mother tried to reassure her daughter silently before glancing at the rest of the wolves gathered around her.

”A pack meeting is long overdue. Something that Ash can also agree with I think. ” She started speaking more loudly for those sitting farther away to hear. Nari was acutely aware of how the only other adult female of the pack was missing. ”As long as we are all together I think we should go over a couple of things.” She paused once more to think before glancing at Ash to see what he might want to say. ”Grizzly Hollow pack has been re-established in the cedarwood forest to the north. I count them as allies so play nicely with them. I also believe Deacon has some news about other packs form his travels?” Nari turned to glance at Deacon to see if he knew anything.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Ash had always had a certain way of manipulating information to his advantage. He had not needed to do so in Whisper Caverns as much as he had in Poison Path. Generally, Ash believed that his days of manipulating, lying, and killing were over. He had a pack he had to lead and a family that he had to take care of. There was no room for him to make any errors when it came to making enemies. Ash had probably already done so with Elettra and she was their ally. The man watched as Yuka arrived in a timely fashion, staying in the shadows away from the pack, much like he usually did. Apprentice and mentor locked gazes and Ash nodded his head to the boy, pleased that he was still with them. Deacon was next to arrive, back from his scouting trip to his sister. The Hervok was interested to hear what the young man had heard from his sister and if she was feeling any better. Her health mattered greatly to him and Ash hoped that if he needed to, Narimé would understand that he would have to take the trip to see her. Of course, with their decrease in members, the need for them to relocate and find new followers very well might be something they would need to do. Ash would not have his children living by themselves while Ash and Nari found a way for them to regain members.

The father watched as Nineva made her way towards Yuka and Ash couldn’t help the snort of amusement that escaped him when Korrin made his way towards his older half-brother. Mostly, it was the uncomfortable look on Yuka’s face that amused the older man the most. While Ash felt bad that the situation made the boy uncomfortable, it was exposure to what he would have to do in the future. Narimé was quick to start the meeting and Ash was sure that both of them could realize that another female Second was gone to them. A certain anger welled within Ash, acknowledging that his mate needed a female companion that wasn’t his sister. His tail lashed angrily at the thought. The large man’s head turned towards the gray woman, listening to her words before he turned his head to hear what Deacon had to say. The new that was delivered to them shocked Ash deeply, his mossy green eyes blinking rapidly in shock. Of course, the bombshell must have been harder on Nari. News of one of your sons having a child would definitely be…interesting. The Lagina woman was not even that old. The news of Secret Woodlands’ new alliance was interesting for Ash to hear. The only time he could recall Oak Tree Bend was from the war years ago, back when he had been an alpha in Poison Path. He had never known that Nina had relations to them.

As for the last little bit about Minka, Ash chose to ignore that part. The Hervok male was well aware that Inali had joined Secret Woodlands as for sanctuary for saving his sister’s pack from a war. While he could have a mutual understanding with the woman for saving his sister, Ash was unsure about how Nari would feel about the arrangement and had kept that information to himself. It was not lying, he had just simply…forgotten to tell her about it. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice in his powerful tenor, allowing it to peacefully flow throughout the territory, ”Well, it seems like the bonds between Secret Woodlands and Whisper Caverns grows stronger by the day then…yes?” His voice was smooth, a tactic he had sense learned he could use easily for others to agree with him. It shouldn’t have been too hard though, the only wolf he really had to convince of this was Deacon. It was just another reminder that their numbers were lowering and that they needed to start recruiting members as soon as possible.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief