Family

• NAIRA AQUILA •

over everything

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth that did not quite reach her eyes when @Karpos bounded forward eagerly to announce that @Aponi had been close on his heels. There had been a change in her daughter since she took the boy in and for that she could only be grateful. Golden eyes scanned the area, a glimmer of worry showing though, growing less and less as each member came into sight. @Chulyin of course was the next to arrive, significantly more dignified than the eager boy, and her appreciation showed. The next to arrive was @Nova who was met with an affectionate nibble to her brow. “No darling. We’re going on an adventure.” she cooed with a soft smile for her fiery-eyed daughter.

It was almost a surprise to see @Crowe arrive so swiftly. She had to grudgingly admit the man had earned his place amongst them and his concern shown towards the packs first ward did not come as a surprise. A small shake of her head was all the could offer the ghostly brute, and a small reassurance, “@Sagacity wouldn’t risk him being left behind, I’m sure they will join us shortly...”

She was relieved when @Taima joined them and when the girl questioned her, the second came into sight with her son in tow. “Soon.” she promised, eyes still searching for Sagacity, @Mercy, @Mapplethorpe and @Faol. Their new recruits she expected would take a little longer to join them, and then they came. For a moment she blinked, thinking perhaps she was seeing triple but relief flooded over her when she realised she wasn’t. Continuing the mental rollcall, she managed to mark off Mapplethorpe and Faol next, a reassuring “You’re not the last.” offered to Faol for his apologies. She expected that it may take Veronika a little longer to join them with her leg which while on the mend may still be affected by the cold, and Gent could have headed out hunting for all she knew - but surely he would find the same wall at the eastern end of the Pass as what walled them off here.

Enough had gathered to start, after all it would be very slow going.

As if to reinforce her urgency the clouds rumbled their displeasure of their presence overhead. She took a deep breath, to allow her voice to carry to the gathered. “This winter is the harshest I remember. We cannot stay here any longer, or we will starve or freeze to death for sure. The last thing I want is for us to wake and find ourselves trapped within our den by a wall of ice. Two more may join us yet. She allowed her eyes to travel over the gathered, her chest swelling with pride to look at each and every of their loyal faces. “Faol, you have more than proven yourself in the protection of our borders, I would like for you to claim a place as Guardian among our ranks. Look out for the young ones, it’s going to be a rough trip down.” Next her eyes travelled to the white man among them, “Likewise Crowe. I think you have proven yourself by now, although I will need you up front with me, Chulyin too. I’m sure between us we can make the path a little easier on the young ones...” and everyone else. she thought on grimly. It was she who had chosen to settle here and the fate of them all rested squarely on her shoulders.

Taking the first sinking steps forward, she gritted her teeth and pushed. It was going to be a very long trip.

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Gent had been on the opposite side of the territory, familiarizing himself with whatever areas he could reach as well as keeping a look out for any signs of intrusion or prey. He'd had the idea of scaling the precipices that lined this new home, of setting up obstacles for himself and making what would soon become routine continually interesting. However, over the course of a few short days the relentless precipitation made even the worn paths difficult to venture down. Reaching the limits of what he could, Naira's beckoning call echoed through the pass, audible only due to the sudden cessation of storms that had begun earlier that day. 'Shit,' he thought, considering the length of time it would take him to reach the brash luminary. Late to the first pack meeting, not a good start. Turning himself around, Gent put even more effort into traveling swiftly, determined not to be the last one there. However, once he arrived, he couldn't quite tell if he'd met his goal or not. There were plenty gathered, and Naira had begun to explain her reasons for summoning them all together. Displeased with his own tardiness, Gent assumed submissive posture and maneuvered closer to Naira to better hear what was being said, even if it meant stepping in front of a pack mate or two. What she offered was not much of a surprise to the boy. It was only the day after entering into the pack that he considered whether or not he'd walked into a death trap, and he'd watched the pass fill up with snow with mild concern. There was a slight bitterness in his thoughts; after all, the reason he'd come to the pass was because of their physical location. But he would take this challenge, of digging their way out and of adapting to a new homestead, and perhaps he would earn a few points of respect from the leaders in the process. Naira voiced who she wanted in the lead, but Gent would not be left to the rear and forfeit the majority of the work onto other's shoulders. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to take on the venture with such zeal, given that he'd barely been able to take the time to recover his strength since first beginning his travels, but he'd be damned if he didn't put a dent in. Following as close to Naira's front line as allowed, he would occasionally fall back only to check on the youth; not only because his alpha had pointed them out, but because he wanted to be known to the whelps as someone trustworthy.

Sagacity's worries ceased when the three missing wolves- Mapplethorpe, Aponi and Faol- joined up with the rest of the group. She did her best to remain calm and quiet, to exude nothing but confidence as they gathered together for an emergency meeting. Naira proclaimed that they would be leaving the mountain, and heading elsewhere for the rest of the winter. Though she wanted to ask Naira more questions- where exactly were they headed, and would they return to the mountain in the Spring- she held her tongue. First, they would follow their leaders down the mountain to a place of safety, and then they would sort out the other details. Time was running out, and they couldn't afford to risk their lives.

Naira surged forward with the lead of the group, announcing that Faol would be the guardian of the pups, which brought Sage a great deal of pride. Naira then called Chulyin and Crowe to the head of the group, so the larger males could help create a path through the show for the smaller wolves to follow. Instinctively, Sagacity reached out and grabbed Mercy's scruff, catching him just before he could make his way forward to the front of the group with Crowe. She released him, gave him a look and shook her head. He wouldn't make the journey if plowing the way through the show was his task. He was a pup, and as such, was one of the ones who needed the path forged by the larger, adult males.

A new, young male pushed forward to tail the leading group and Sagacity eyed him warily. He was young and bold- she wasn't sure he'd be fit enough to keep up with the vanguard, but she appreciated his willingness to help create a path. With Naira, Crowe, Chulyin and now this young male at the head of the group, Sagacity felt confident that they would create a good path for the young ones. Sagacity waited for Naira's daughters, the young male who seemed quite fond of Aponi, and Mercy to go ahead before she moved in behind them. This way she could keep an eye on all the young ones, and track down any who roved from the path. The front of the group was a soldiering bunch, strong and fit- and she would not let the rear end of the group fall short. She cast a look to catch Faol's eye, so that he would join her as a guardian to make sure no one fell behind.

It was then that she noticed the follower. She kept her distance, and she was far enough away that Sagacity did not immediately leap into action in order to chase her off. It would waste too much of her energy to do so, and to be honest, the female, who looked to be in ill health, looked hardly like a threat at all...But had illness settled into her bones, she could become a threat as easily as a healthy wolf. She raised her tail and perked her ears, She once again sought Faol's eyes, to alert him to their follower, before she uttered a sharp chuff; a warning to the rest of the pack that they were being followed. She hoped that Mapplethorpe would be able to step in, and decide the girl's fate. Sagacity would chase her off if need be, but for now she knew the pack had to move forward.

Who the heck was this guy? And how had he managed to tame Aponi?

Before Naira made the announcement that they'd be going down the mountain (which was what he'd been doing up until that moment, so he now felt quite silly, having already traipsed up and down the mountainside a bit that day) Mercy had had a moment or two to catch his breath, alongside Nova, and had noticed the newcomer. He was young- probably somewhere around their age- and seemed to be hanging suspiciously close to Aponi. There was a hopeful, eager look about him- especially whenever he turned his gaze toward Naira. It nearly made Mercy laugh- yeah, if he wanted the queen's daughter, he'd better plan on sucking up to her mother!

He had to told back a shudder when Faol was granted the role of guardian- why wasn't Crowe?! Naira mentioned him next- and gave him a bit of a compliment, but then said that he needed to be up front. Why, so she could keep an eye on him? Mercy was about to protest when he realized why Naira wanted Crowe up front- between him and Chulyin, they'd make a great path in the snow for the pups to follow in, and before he even had a chance to think twice, he stood and was about to move forward to join the two males when he felt something grab his scruff and stop him. He turned around, surprised- only to see that it was his mother who'd taken hold of the loose fur just behind his ears. When she shook her head, he came back to reality and with a sigh, accepted the fact that the path was being made for the likes of him- pups. He watched another newcomer- he looked like a yearling, or thereabouts, to Mercy- join up with the leading group and tried not to look too envious as they pushed ahead. He glanced to his mother- at least she wasn't going ahead of him. She seemed to want to stay at the back of the pack- with Faol.

"Well; let's go, Nova," He said quietly, and stepped ahead, so that he too could contribute to the forging of a path. He was glad, then, that Karpos had joined them- someone else could keep their eye on Aponi and distract her. He stepped in line with the group, purposefully stepping on untrodden snow so that there was less for Nova to sink into. A sharp bark from his mother caught his attention, and he looked back over his shoulder to see her standing on alert, gazing into the distance- but he couldn't see why. The group ahead of him kept going- and so, with a quick glance to Nova, he continued on as well, toward their new home.

The amount of snow now covering the pass was impossible to walk through, especially with her limp. Prey was completely non-existent, and she feared the worst more so for the little ones than herself. Of course she hadn't spoken of her fears to the superiors yet, if she even would. Naira always had an air of confidence that suggested she new what she was doing, and so Veronika had to trust her.

A call sounded above the crunching of chest deep snow, and the pale fae averted her course. So they would in fact be planning an escape then? Why else would their leader be calling for them now? It took some time, but when she finally made her way to the clearing it seemed that everyone had already gathered, and the meeting was just beginning.

A few of the males were given general positions to make start packing down the snow, and as Naira gave her first push Veronika realized what a difficult trip it was going to be. Would they all survive the treacherous escape from their prison atop the mountain? She began moving alongside the rest of the pack, ready to endure the trip.