Whitestone Monadnock in the pines where the sun don't ever shine

Thank you everyone (past and present) who has contributed to WHITESTONE MONADNOCK. We certainly had a drama and fun-filled run but it's time to move onto the next chapter. This will be a quick disbanding thread - one and done. Set the morning after Wraith's death. @Cheedo @Adeltra @Cyril @Odin @Kip

She had not cleaned her coat of the crimson hues. The pale female had slept in the iron smelling mess. They had buried him and she had spent most the night by his grave before groveling back to the Monadnock in the early morning light. She clambered to the top before perching on the giant gold veined boulders. This spot was once a place of joyous gathering. There should have been her large dark mate by her side while she did the talking for him. The shadowy male would no longer be there. Physically.

Piety took in a deep breath. She could not stay here. The throne of the Monadnock hadn't been hers in the first place and while she had grown into the position with time, it felt like the weight of the world now. She had stepped up to take care of things for Morganna. Stepped up to be a strong figure next to Wraith. With one in the ground and one on the other side of the lore, holding the crown was pointless.

Her head tipped back to summon those still here. Although she would stand in a strong stance on top of the boulders she felt weak. A strong gust of wind would whip her away into nothing. She waited patiently for anyone present to fill in before she dared to speak her thoughts.

"With my mate gone, I cannot stay. To carry on the Monadnock without him is too much for me to bear. I'm sorry." She started off, muddy brown eyes drifting over everyone one by one. Letting wolves down was never easy for the scarred dove. "I'll be leaving here after this last meeting. Anyone is welcome to follow me but it will be a long trip." Her gaze did shift specifically between Cyril and Adeltra. She hoped they would be the ones who followed but she understood if they wished to flee on their own accord. "Those who wish to stay in the area have nearby options of the Rye Fields or Hearthwood. I wish you all the very best wherever you go, though."

The Monadnock had had its run but it was time to let the north be unclaimed again.

# C W T

He couldn’t watch them bury his father—tuck him away beneath the soil of the tundra, as though he had never existed. Blood still clung to his matted, ebony fur. The boy had stayed by his mother’s side through the night, his gangly coiled into a tight ball as he attempted to will the nightmare away. But it did not end. Instead, it continued, furious and persistent. His father was gone. And the home he once knew, and adored, felt like a prison. He followed his mother to the monadnock, his paws dragging behind him, throat tight with grief. Since watching his father fall from the stag’s antlers Cyril had not spoken, nor did he intend to. Not yet.

Before the words tumbled from his mother’s mouth Cyril knew what was happening. What she was going to stay. They couldn’t stay here—not without the Dark Knight at their side. He was the piece that held them all together. Without him there was nothing for them atop the giant rock. All he could smell was old blood, his nostrils burning.

The broken boy stood at his mother’s side, his shoulders sagging. His dull, yellow eyes were fixated on the ground, his paws itching to go. Away from the monadnock, away from the memories. Everly was already gone—his fault!—and now the rest of them would disperse. He leaned against her shoulder to let her know he would be accompanying her, wherever it was she wanted to go. Cyril couldn’t lose his mother, too.

It had been a hard blow to take losing Wraith as they had and after burying their fallen King Cheedo had slipped into the den. She didn't sleep much as the vision of what had happened had played over and over in her mind. She'd grieved letting her tears fall freely in the dark. She needed this time to herself because she would need to be what she had never been before. She would need to be strong for Piety and Cyril as they got through this tough time.

As the light from the rising sun appeared at the mouth of the den Cheedo didn't rise as she normally would. It was uncertainty that kept her rooted to her usual sleeping place against the chamber wall. It wasn't until she heard Piety's call that she finally pulled herself to her feet and moved to exit the den.

The small agouti woman took her place as she always did for their meetings. It was to be expected to have a meeting after losing Wraith. She was sure the question of what was going to happen next was on everyone's mind. She wasn't expecting the loss of her home, a second big blow in as many days and Cheedo felt like she'd had the air knocked out if her lungs. What was she supposed to do when she had thought she would spend the rest of her days with the wolves of Whitestone.

Thankfully she didn't have to worry as Piety was offering for any who wanted to follow her to go with her. Her gaze went to those who were gathered and she knew what she had to do, support her remaining Alpha and her son through their grieving. She'd planned to do it before the announcement and she still wanted to do it. “I’ll go with you,” she stated without hesitation.

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you

It had been a long night. After the pack wolves had laid the fallen king to rest the girl had turned and made her way back to her shelter, leaving them to finally mourn in peace. It had left her uncharacteristically quiet, the first real reminder that she and nobody else was immortal. Death was thing not just reserved for prey, but also for the predator and it was a hard pill to swallow. Sleep evaded her for most of the night and thus she’d spent most of it staring up at the stars. She’d discovered that winter made them almost seem to shine brighter, emphasizing their beauty. There was something calming about it, even in the bleak situation. 


She pictured her family’s faces in her mind, trying to remember as best she could what they looked and sounded like. Her father, roughly her twin in appearance minus his bright yellow eyes. He was always letting them get away with something, sometimes she thought he was as mischievous as his pups. Her mother, beauty and grace and kindness. Piety reminded her a lot of Enoki which was probably why she’d taken such a liking to her. She was the first memory she had, her warm body and love imprinted on her forever. Her brother, a bit skittish at times but her partner in crime. Where one was the other was sure to follow, getting into schemes largely of her planning. He was fun, he was he beloved brother even if she might not say those exact words to his face. Ravenna, perhaps a bit more stoic in her opinion than some of the other members of the pack but always kind. Her cousin, if she remembered correctly, and wise beyond her years. She had great stories. Then Sven, the one she’d met only just before she’d been separated. He was huge but fun to play. She didn’t know much about him but she’d change that when she got home.

She had been dozing for a few hours when Piety’s call went into the air. Head rising groggily her body followed suit, bending into a stretch and a large yawn gaping her jaws. Within the two and a half weeks she’d been with the monadnock she’d bulked up. One could no longer see her ribs and her knees weren’t quite as nobby. She was nowhere near where she had been before she’d left, but then again she’d also grown and lost baby fat. She wondered if her family would recognize her. 

She left the shelter and headed up toward the call, coming upon the others gathered. She moved to stand near them, separated by not by much. They looked tired, oh so tired and she couldn’t blame them. She suspected they would look that way for a while. It bothered her to see them still matted in blood, she wanted to go up and lick it away. Clean them of the physical demons even though they still had a long fight to go with their mental ones. Cyril didn’t speak, didn’t make a peep and her heart sunk a little more. Auds tilted forward to catch Piety’s words, respecting her for forcing herself to sound and remain strong even though they all knew she was hurting. At the end the dark girl said nothing herself, rather she offered a low bow of her head, resting there for a moment to offer a quiet show of respect before lifting it and placing a soft smile on her lips. There needed to be a smile here somewhere instead of the pain.

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Where have all the good guys gone?

Odin Archer

Odin didn't have to move far when Piety called, even though one of the many boulders obscured him from view as he stared out over the bleak tundra. An ear turned to catch Piety's words before allowing a heavy snort to leave his nose, he wasn't going anywhere, though he supposed Piety could run to his mother when Cheedo said she would go with her a smirk threated to twitch on his lips, Oh mother would just love that. He pushed himself up to glance over his shoulder at the gathering. "Well stay safe. I'm not goin' anywhere," and with that he stood up and headed down the goat track to reinforce borders that no longer existed.