Cedarwood Forest September Calls

Aideen Athesila

The bitter-sweet perfume of cedar filled her nose, delicate paws stumbling slightly over the exposed roots of the tall trees; Not covered by several years worth of decaying leaf litter like the deciduous thickets of her home. She smiled to herself at every falter though, taking it as a keen reminder that she hadn't been away from the Woodlands for a long time, and her old adventurer agility was suffering for it. It was lovely to be out and about for a change, her senses eagerly scanning the unusual surroundings, as always searching for any medicinal herbs she might bring back. It was more habit than necessity though, anything that might be to find hidden in the pine needles would surely be stored in abundance already at her destination. Besides, her mouth was already occupied by the bundle of medicines she had brought from her own stores, a gift for her host.

The Woodland queen was excited, not just to be out and about, but to be visiting her friend, who she hadn't seen for so many moons. A lot had happened in that time, 3 things in particular, which was why she was making the trip. She was sure the same was true for her colleague and the pack he was now in charge of – and while they had ways of keeping in contact with one another, some things were better discussed face to face. Besides, she wanted to see that face once in a while.

So she made her way south, using her nose to help guide her, until she hit the Hollow borders, one of the many strong, mingled scents particularly familiar. Carefully setting down her gift, Aideen Athesila smiled and raised her head high, calling in her strong, clean soprano for Merlin to come meet her.

Word count: 300

Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

A call for Merlin from the north-east border had Yvly's ears perking up. If she was not mistaken, the one to call out was the smaller russet female from when she and @Veho had made an appearance at a neighbouring packs' borders... Aideen. With a glimmer of a smile on her maw, the tawny female started off in the direction of the call. She had been nice when they met what seemed to be just over six months ago. Maybe she had returned with herbs of her own? That was the only likely reason she could think of for the woman making a trip down here. Either way, whatever her reasoning, it would be nice to chat with Aideen again.

Sure that Veho was not too far behind, and that Aideen would not mind her appearing first, the tawny female weaved her way through the cedars until she arrived at the border. Tail waving amicably behind her, Yvly positioned herself on one side of the border, her body more or less neutral as she felt no need to stand otherwise. The russet female was considered an ally, and therefore a friend. "Aideen!" She greeted warmly, though not sure if she should stand still or reach forward in a welcoming embrace. Noticing the bundle of herbs at the other's feet, Yvly beamed. "I see you've brought a gift." A gift was always welcome, especially as it was herbs with winter arriving soon. They could always use a little more as the cold weather was a lodestone for illnesses.

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An alpha’s duties never did cease, it seemed. Still, Grizzly Hollow had no trained medic outside of himself – and Veho could hardly take on the official role whilst he remained alpha. Perhaps it was meant to be an interim performance, it had been – well, it had almost been four seasons since he’d taken leadership of the Lyall’s pack, hadn’t it? He’d probably led it as long as the family had, at this point. The wolf grimaced around his mouthful of western red cedar bark and continued his pace; now was not the time for such dour thoughts.

Frankly, there was never a time to think like that.

Before Veho could get any closer to his medical den, a familiar song rang out through the heights of his trees. The male drew to a halt, lifting his head higher as his ears pricked. Recognizing the notes almost immediately, the wolf diverted his path towards the boundaries – if any wolf would not mind his mouthful of medicinal herbs, surely it would be the leader of the Secret Woodlands.

By the time he arrived, it seemed his co-leader had beat him to the punch. The wolf dipped his head to both females as he approached, setting the bark down at his feet as he cleared his throat. “Not good for eating,” he clarified, shaking his head once with a wry expression. “But I digress – it is very good to see you, Aideen. To what does Grizzly Hollow owe the pleasure of your visit?”

Aideen Athesila

It took only moments before footfalls in the underbrush announced an answer to her call, though the figure that appeared was not the silvery one she expected. None the less it was familiar, and Aideen smiled at the lean woman. "Crystal, " She answered the greeting in a warm tone, bowing her head respectfully. At the added comment she grinned up at the other, shrugging her shoulders lightly; "My mom taught me to never show up emptymouthed!" It was a little personal joke, etiquette hadn't exactly been high on the old lady's list of values, though she had comment several times on how she wished her mouthy daughter would stuff it with something; She would be so proud..! The vixen girl had to suppress a giggle.

Her stray thoughts were interrupted by the rumble of another familiar voice, and her smile was turned to the gray man as he joined his scout at the border. His welcome was sincere and the Woodlander nodded her head in a less formal manner this time, tail wagging eagerly at her hocks. "Good to see you too, it's been too long," she answered brightly, reaching forwards to gently touch her cheek to his; "I thought it was high time we had a chat, face to face. A lot has happened in Secret Woodlands since we last spoke, I assume the same is true for you." Her eyes shifted to the tawny shewolf as she pulled back, head tilting slightly. She couldn't tell for sure, as no one was overly bothering with posture at this friendly visit, but Crystal seemed to stand taller next to the male lead, certainly a lot more relaxed than she remembered from their visit to the Thicket; I do wonder…

Word count: 289

Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

"It is very much appreciated," The tawny female responded in a light tone to Aideen's quip, jaws opening in a soft laugh. She felt at ease enough with the russet female before her to let down her guard, and if they were to be allies with one another she would have to not be so uptight all the time. Her head swivelled on tawny shoulders at the rustling of brush underneath paws behind her, maw widening in a smile at Veho's appearance, and with some cedar bark to provide for the herbal exchange. Her co-leader was not a dilatory wolf, as evident by his also swift arrival to Aideen's call, and she gently nudged her muzzle against his cheek in greeting.

Now that her co-leader had arrived they could get down to business, for Yvly knew that Aideen would not travel all the way to another pack's borders unless it was important enough for her to put her own leader duties on hold for a few days. Her dark amber gaze returned to the russet female as she spoke of her reasoning for making the arduous trip. Tawny ears twitched at her words. Yes, much had happened, some good and a lot bad in her opinion. However, she was not sure what was off limits to talk about, and so she glanced sideways at @Veho to let him know he should speak first. She would act accordingly to what he gave out, but for now she would stay silent and take note of how he acted as a leader. She had much to learn.

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“Oh yes,” Veho agreed, bobbing his head. “A great deal has happened.” Puppies, members coming and going. Rook. Oula. His mouth twisted into something unreadable before he tipping his head, glancing at his co-alpha for a moment. The leader seemed to be content to allow him to do most of the talking, as he had procured this arrangement with the wolves of Secret Woodlands (and Aideen herself), so he spoke up. “My partner, and mother of my pups, Lyonesse, has left the territory for some time to accompany some others returning to a homeland. Crystal has stepped up to leadership in her stead.”

It was mostly the truth. It did beg the question of what would happen when Oula returned.

If she returned, a niggling thought insisted.

But now was not the time for such doubts. Veho shook out his thickening coat and turned his attention back to the pair of women before him. “But we do have pups now, within the pack. Three.” His beautiful children – but now was not the time to be a proud father and gush over the growing babies. This was pack politics. This was an exchange of news, among other things. “Our numbers have shrunk – something I hope to change before the winter roles in for good. Our stores are fair, at least. And you? How are you and the Secret Woodlands faring?”

Aideen Athesila

She grinned at the younger woman, happy to see her more at ease than at their last meeting. Then her attention turned to Merlin, rust-hued ears perked as he began to relay what was happening in the Hollow. Mostly unfamiliar with the man's living situation, the news of pups did not shock Aideen, but it did bring a wide smile to her lips. The absence of the new mother was much more surprising, causing grey brows to furrow slightly. The other leader seemed to take it calmly enough though, so she didn't comment or think on it any further, instead turning to Crystal as her new position was confirmed. "Congratulations then," the Woodlands wolf offered, adding in a lightly teasing tone: "I suppose I won't see as much of you at my borders in the future then."

Attention such on the tawny alphess, Aideen didn't notice the silvered wolf's short abstraction, only turning back to him when he spoke again, the pride in his offspring clear on his face even as he tried to stay professional. The petite fae smiled again, humor sparkling in her eyes, though she held back her laughter and nodded in understanding as he raised concerns for winter – it was an issue she worried about herself. All in all, her colleague seemed well, perhaps a bit stressed by the prospect of handling three pups on his own on top of a pack, but it didn't seem to have him overburdened; I'm glad. She wanted to see him happy.

Then her turn came, and she smiled brightly, not as worried about professionalism as her Hollow counterpart. "Things are good in the Thicket," she began, waving her tail slowly as she spoke; "We had our first litter, three as well, two girls and a boy. Our numbers are a bit scarce too, but the yearlings are growing well and are a great help with the cubs." Like Merlin, she didn't linger, delivering the news as matter-of-fact as possible, more in depth conversation could come later. "Our caches are looking good too, I have Nina to help me with herbs, and our members count some skilled hunters and a great fisherman." She smiled to herself at the mention of @Duckweed, nodding lightly to signify the end of her news. Then silence stretched comfortably for a moment, before a sudden impulse made her add: "Perhaps, once they have grown a bit bigger, the pups could meet? It would be nice for them to get to know other age mates."

Word count: 419

Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

Yvly listened quietly as @Veho went over the recent happenings in their pack, tawny ears lowering ever so slightly at his mention of 'Lyonesse' leaving to search for others where 'other' meant Rook. It had been a while since Oula had left and she would be lying if she said she was not worried. As much as she had seemed to be nonchalant about the woman on the outside, the tawny female had admired her for being so strong in what she stood for. There was always the thought that she would not be as good as a leader as she had been, as well as not meeting her co-leaders expectations in being a leader. However, she let a smile grace her maw at Aideen's congratulations. "I'll still try and make the trip as often as I can," she responded also in a teasing tone.

The tawny female's attention was solely fixed on the russet female as she talked about what had happened in Secret Woodlands since they last time they had met. Her tail wagged behind her at the mention of pups. It was good knowing her pack was just as prosperous as Grizzly Hollow, though it seemed they, too, were having a bit of trouble keeping their numbers up. At least Grizzly Hollow was not alone in that regard, and she silently prayed that good fortune came upon Aideen and her pack before winter hit. At the mention of her pack having a great fisherman in their ranks a much larger smile found its way onto her face. She glanced briefly at Veho to make sure he was okay with her sharing a little information about their own members before she spoke. "We also have a wolf skilled at catching fish among us." 'That wolf' being Pip who seemed to catch all sorts of marine life with ease.

Tawny ears perked up at Aideen's proposal of having a play date in the near future. She nodded, agreeing that it would be good for them to get out and meet others their age, maybe even make some friends and strengthen the relationship between their two packs. "I think it's a good idea," she said happily, turning her head to the side to look at Veho and see if he was happy with the suggestion too.

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