Whitestone Monadnock is that just the wind or a furious vexation?

As the wind funnel receded back into the sky, Wraith felt the tension ease from his shoulders. His muscles felt stiff and angry for the way he'd held himself so taut the entire way to the Monadnock. The brute's ears flicked forward as Morganna's howl reached him quickly. Close enough, he barked out a gruff reply as he came into view. He approached the huddled party quickly, touching noses with each and every one to assure himself of their safety. Only once he was satisfied did he truly breathe easier. He didn't have to ask, but did so anyway. "Is everyone okay? We saw the funnel from the lowlands. The others should be on their way." Unless Capable convinced Craw to stay behind with her lunatic ideas. He shook off the lingering annoyance, certain his friend would have made haste to come to his family's defense even if he could do nothing for them. With both @Kara and @Odin, Wraith granted them the extra time and comfort, nuzzling them while his tongue ghosted over their backs. "It's gone now," he told them, certain they experienced the fright of their lives. "You're safe." It was a gentle reassurance before he gave his full attention to Morganna. "Do you think it will come back?" There was little use speculating, but a mother's intuition was well endowed and Wraith trusted his Alpha to know how best to keep her pack safe, including her little ones.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Pulling away from the kisses Odin so excitedly placed upon her jaw, the woman felt something. Whatever that feeling was, however, passed before she had the time to consider it, and  was already forgotten by the time her full attention returned to Morganna. What she found on the dark woman's face was not missed, as a smile erupted somewhere in the confusion of the Alpha's features. The pale woman simply considered the grin to be the aftermath of the madness of whatever had happened, or the relief that it had stopped before it had done any real damage, so that too was quickly dismissed.

It wasn't until the Alpha female's howl fell over the lands below that she even thought to tell the other pack member's that they were safe. Craw had taken a party out not long before the fiasco, so they surely would have seen the threat. Gods what was it about this place?

Greer was the first to make an appearance, but gave them no insight, which was to be expected of the man. Wraith was second, his mouth full of questions. Only offering an answer to the last, she regained the honey her previous statement had been missing. "Gods I hope not."

(This post was last modified: Jul 18, 2016, 08:16 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

oops somehow have to get to three, I'll post again sometime after someone else has

 

While her first reaction was fear that the wind had swept her away and she would go tumbling across the air like the leaves that flew by she quickly realized her mistake. The hot air hitting her back was different than that which whipped about her, roaring in her ears until she folded them back. This was Mum air. The kind she breathed when carrying around Kára. The warmth of it was comforting and the pup went limp though her eyes still wide with terror.

The whatever it was got closer and closer to the ground and from her peripheral vision Kára saw Cela turn away with her brother safely in her jaws. Expecting the same to happen to her and her mother the panic returned the longer that they stood there. Had the storm done something to Mum? Would they soon be swept away and never seen again? Why wasn't Mum moving?

Blue eyes clenched shut in acceptance that she was never going to see her friends or her home again a few tears fell. As such she missed the tendril of clouds retreating away from them and didn't notice until her mother actually began to move. Peaking from behind one fiery lid O came into view. The second paws touched the ground she raced forward to embrace him, hardly paying any mind to the bigs who comforted her, all she needed was her brother.

 

Didn't realise it was my turn - I'm awful. Dx Ace, I hope it's okay to assume that Capable followed him up to the top?
@Morganna @Wraith @Celandine @Greer @Isuni @Kara - almost finished! One or two more rounds?

Capable's laughter rang in his ears like something demented, as though whatever the wind had created atop Whitestone had loosed a madness in her, a side totally unlike the cold and harsh manner he expected from her. Her shouted taunts swirled inside his mind like the sky twisted above, and he rebelled against her words just as much as he wondered at their truth. Capable was not a wolf prone to jest or deception. She was utterly straightforward, which was part of the reason he tolerated her - liked her, even, despite her brash and bordering-on-disrespectful nature. The pale finger had triggered something very unusual and deep inside of her.

He rejected any implication that the pack might be found unworthy, for it could not be true. But judged by what? Valhalla, she said, and something about the word sank its teeth into the base of his skull and didn't let go.

Even as they ran, the weather turned, but the sight of the tendril fading and retreating did not slow his approach, the spider thundering up the side of the monadnock like a beast possessed. Reassurance came in the form of Morganna's voice, her message of wellness, but he could not bring himself to stop and reply. Only shortly afterwards did he appear on the top, sides heaving and muscles hot from exertion, to find all of them stood together and unharmed just as she had implied...  and he air rushed out of him for a second time.

Glancing up at the swirling cloud, the white finger barely visible, he was struck by the curiosity of what it had looked like from up here, and almost regretted that he hadn't been here from the start. But it could not be his priority; trotting forward, he moved towards the bewildered looking group, touching his nose to cheeks in reassurance and confirmation that everyone was okay before reaching Morganna. There was a fire inside of him, and perhaps she saw it when he moved to run his jaw over her muzzle and head protectively, a rumble in his chest as he revelled in her safety, and then could not deny himself any longer.

With a sharp twist, he turned to stare at Capable, and still unable to rationalise what exactly had happened to her, to Whitestone, to him. "Explain yourself."

Explain yourself.

As if Isuni had anything to do with this entire mess.  As if she’d somehow summoned the funnel of winds down from the clouds, as if she’d put their home so close to the sky, as if she’d asked to be judged by Valhalla long before her time!  The red woman could not help her small scoff, eyes rolling as she shook her head.  Stupid man.

Sides heaving, she took a moment to catch her breath – and she was careful to stay two steps out of either alpha’s reach, well aware tempers were short (even if she felt light enough to float away at any given moment). 

“You put your home so close to the sky.  Óvitr.” For the first time since she’d left Moose’s Tooth, the guttural language rolled across her tongue – perhaps it was the thoughts of Valhalla that brought the memory of her mother’s words bubbling from her mouth. “So you get judged.  Dómr.  You are still here, so you must be worthy.  Gildr.  For now – most only get judged once, when he dies and he goes to the gates.  It’s because you put your home so close to the sky.”

It was the only reasonable explanation she could think of.  Shoulders rolled in a shrug as she cast @Craw a wary glance.    “Hope you die in battle then, and your place among warriors is promised to you.  Until that time?  Be worthy, and vindr does not return.”

Óvitr -- Ignorant
Dómr -- Judge
Gildr -- Worthy
vindr -- wind

A wild dissertation appears!

Although the wind had subsided Greer still felt on edge. What had caused the cloud to do that, and why had it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared? The shadow did not understand what had happened at the monadnock, and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to know. They were safe — that was all that mattered. They were together and nobody was harmed; most importantly, the children were kept safe.

His unusually soft thoughts caused a grimace to unfold across his dark lips, silver eyes studying his packmates as they assembled around Morganna. The children seemed almost completely oblivious to what had occurred in the sky above them… lucky them… The adults, on the other paw, were just as baffled as Greer was. Nobody had an answer for the strange phenomenon.

Suddenly Craw’s voice cut through the silence. His forehead tightened as he refocused his attention on the tawny figure of Capable as she scrambled up the stone behind the silver spider. Doing what he did best, Greer kept his lips pressed together as he listened to the second say her piece. The shadow did not really understand what she was jabbering on about — something about being judged due to the placement of his home. He was curious as to how Craw would take her peculiar response… his temper was already rather short. 

 

Pressing her nose into her brother's scruffy neck was enough comfort for Kára who had once more squeezed her eyes shut. This time not of fear but of safety and happiness that her brother was also okay. Whatever it was with the wind and the storms she did not like it she hoped (foolishly) that a storm would never happen again. Rain was okay, it made fun puddles to jump in and she rather liked that but this other thing? It was not fun and even the bigs seemed to agree.

Her quiet revelling in being alive and not harmed was interrupted by the sharp tone of Cer and fiery ears immediately folded back in response. Had her or O done something wrong? Is that why the big winds had come? Turning around the blue eyes brimmed with guilt and the pup whined in acceptance to her punishment (though she was unsure just how she had made the big winds happen) when she noticed the scolding gaze was not directed at her but another big.

Chewing her lip in consideration Kára thought about what this must mean. Cer had gotten Mum in trouble before but they had made up quickly like when her or her brother were in trouble. This other big whose name she didn't remember talked back. Dropping her lip from between her teeth the girl's expression switched from confused to accusatory. Obviously this big had made the winds, how dare she do that. Marching forward and coming to a halt directly between Cer and this bad big the girl stomped one tiny paw in confrontation. Kára wanted answers.

 

The small boy embraced his sister, a protective paw coming up to rest over her shoulder as his nose continued to bump against her cheeks and throat making sure that she was indeed, all still there. The adult's conversation was almost lost on the boy, their words pushed down as 'grown up problems' as he took a moment to process all that had gone on. 

His sister, however, had other plans. He had seen that bossy look before and worried for the big red. Lowering his head he followed on his sister's heels using his nose to bump her hips and ribs. Their parents had this under control, she should be playing instead. Adrenaline was still coursing through his little body and the best way to shake it off would be a wrestle or a 'hunt'. "Ka-we-go." He offered his little sister. "We-go-fine-maowse-fer-Ma!" he was trying to keep his voice down, wouldn't it be a surprise if they got her something as cool as a maowse?

With the wind dying down and the rain coming to a halt there was no reason the rodents wouldn't soon be out and about looking for a patch of sunshine. Was that an opportunity she really wanted to miss?

As the rest of the pack joined them on the Monadnock, Morganna made the rounds between @Greer and @Wraith, a nudge here, a bump there. Reassurance for herself more than anything, that everyone was accounted for, everyone was safe. Wraith's questions as to if everyone was ok was answered with a resolute nod, but when he went on to ask whether or not the spout would return, words escaped her, a shake of her head and a shrug all she could muster to convey I certainly hope not., but Celandine answered for her. Finally, they were joined by @Craw, returning his embracing rumble with a quieter one of her own. When Capable finally made her way to the top she smiled, and so they were all here - but it froze when Craw rounded on her, demanding an explanation.

Explain what? she wanted to interject but chose instead to hold her tongue, expression nothing but curious as she waited to glean whatever information she could from the red wolf. When Capable scoffed, Morganna smirked. Oh so that was how it was. The words she used were foreign but the message was clear enough. Perhaps this was some judgement, maybe the weather on the tundra would always be so foul. Perhaps it was something they had endured a hundred times before and only missed it for the trees obscuring their view? Not to worry, they were all fine and that was all that mattered.

It would seem that @Kara was not of the same mind, however, and that bought a genuine chuckle from the mother. "We're all ok, that's all that matters. Kára, go with yer brother, find me a maowse, and I'll take yer for a walk ter th' lake. But only if you catch the maowse." With any luck, scrambling between the stones chasing the little vermin would wear the children out and they would forget about her offer for a walk when they woke up from their naps all sore and still tired. She leaned into Craw's side, trying to share a little of her own sudden calmness. They had all survived.